HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Office Accommodation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what office accommodation in the parliamentary estate in terms of  (a) square metres and  (b) number of rooms is allocated to the Leader of the Opposition; what was allocated in each of the previous five years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Evidence on office space allocation and occupancy was submitted to the Administration Committee's inquiry into House of Commons Accommodation earlier this year. This evidence is published with that Committee's Third Report of the Session, HC 1279.
	From 2001 to November 2003 the Shadow Cabinet accommodation was seven rooms totalling 216m(2). This included the Shadow Cabinet Meeting Room of 46m(2). In December 2003 the Official Opposition chose to move the Leader and his staff to eight rooms in Norman Shaw South, totalling 311m(2). On 30 June 2006 one of the Leader's rooms (24m(2)) was re-allocated to an Opposition Member's staff. Other changes over the period in question have been minimal. The Leader of the Opposition and his staff currently occupy 287m(2). The Shadow Cabinet Room remains available for Shadow Cabinet Meetings.
	All allocations are made by the Opposition Accommodation Whip out of the rooms available to him for his Members and their staff. The overall distribution of rooms for Members is agreed between the parties after the General Election.

Parliamentary Passes

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many parliamentary passes are allocated to the Leader of the Opposition's staff; how many were allocated in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Leaders of the Opposition are allocated 18 parliamentary passes. In the last four years Leaders of the Opposition have taken full advantage of this facility. Currently 17 passes are issued and one is pending issue.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Deputy Prime Minister

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Leader of the House if he will estimate the value of the Exchequer contribution to the Deputy Prime Minister's pension in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: The pensions of Ministers and office-holders are derived from the Supplementary Scheme of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF). The Government Actuary conducts a triennial review of the fund to determine the Exchequer contribution required to meet the balance of the cost of future pension benefits. The Exchequer contribution for the Supplementary Scheme has been in the range of 6.8 per cent. to 24 per cent. between 1997 and March 2006.
	The value of the Exchequer contribution to the Fund based on a Commons Cabinet Minister's salary, excluding that in respect of service as an MP, in each year since 1997 was as follows:
	
		
			   Exchequer contribution (£) 
			 1997-98 (part) 4,072 
			 1998-99 4,192 
			 1999-2000 4,823 
			 2000-01 4,962 
			 2001-02 5,111 
			 2002-03 5,519 
			 2003-04 17,143 
			 2004-05 17,486 
			 2005-06 17,976

Ministerial Offices

Sarah Teather: To ask the Leader of the House how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: As required by the terms of the lease conditions, set by Crown Estate, my office has been decorated once in the last five years. This took place in 2002. It still looks okay.

Sitting Dates

Paul Rowen: To ask the Leader of the House when he expects to publish the dates of sittings for the next Session.

Jack Straw: I hope to publish the dates of the sittings for the next Session after the House returns in the autumn, and it has made a decision on the future of September sittings.

SCOTLAND

Advertising Campaigns

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advertising campaigns the Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each.

David Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) on 13 July 2005,  Official Report, column 1086W, which sets out all the information on advertising costs incurred by this office for the period in question.

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his practice is regarding meeting, discussions with and taking into account the views and opinions of  (a) private individuals and  (b) representatives of organisations when drawing up and framing legislation to be introduced by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office seeks a full range of views when drawing up and framing legislation. Consultation is a key part of the policy-making process—both informal and formal.
	Since it was established in 1999, the only primary legislation which the Department has taken forward has been the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004. This was preceded by a public consultation which was issued in December 2001.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many websites there are within his responsibilities; and what the total cost of maintaining such websites was in the last year for which figures are available.

David Cairns: For the period 1 January-31 December 2005, there were two websites for which the Scotland Office was responsible:
	
		
			  Website  Overall costs (£) 
			 www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk 4,640 
			 www.arbuthnottcommission.gov.uk 176 
		
	
	The overall costs are based on the fees for hosting the site, and where appropriate include any additional fees for updates and design revisions.

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many public appointments are within his patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

David Cairns: Details of the public appointments to bodies sponsored by the Scotland Office can be found in "Public Bodies", copies of which are in the Library. "Public Bodies" has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. The only public body currently sponsored by this office is the Boundary Commission for Scotland. Information before 1999 will relate to the responsibilities of the former Scottish Office.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Arms Trade

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what transit and trans-shipment licences have been issued since 2003 for the movement of military goods from Bosnia via the UK to other destinations; what type of goods was covered within each licence; and what the final destination of the goods was in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 13 July 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 17 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 129-130W.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the costs of the restructuring proposals for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is wholly owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Following consultation with stakeholders, NERC announced in March that it will implement plans to ensure that CEH can contribute to UK environmental science on a sustainable basis in the future. NERC has estimated that the costs involved will be £43 million over four years, including a £7 million investment in new facilities at the retained sites. Details of the NERC announcement are set out at http://www.nerc.ac.uk/publications/latestpressrelease/2006-13ceh.asp.

Droit de Suite

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of Droit de Suite on  (a) the London and  (b) the British art market; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A study of the potential impact on the British art market was carried out prior to the implementation of the directive introducing Droit de Suite. The report of its findings and the Regulatory Impact Assessment which was prepared during the implementation are available on the Patent Office website. This study did not consider the London art market separately.
	A further study is being commissioned to assess the actual impact following our implementation of the directive. This will be undertaken during 2006-07.

Energy Policy

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of the presentation made to him on energy policy options by the Department of Trade and Industry energy team on 15 May; which departmental officials were present at the presentation; and what reasons underlay the choice of graphs and bar charts posted on his Department's website on energy usage following the presentation.

Malcolm Wicks: The Energy Review reported on 11 July. Information relating to the review, including the review document "The Energy Challenge", is available on the DTI website at: www. dti.gov.uk/energy/review
	Publishing details of the departmental officials present at the meeting on 15 May would risk exposing individual civil servants unfairly to public scrutiny, when they are unable to answer potential criticism.

Energy Policy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library  (a) copies of the presentation made to him on energy policy options by the Department of Trade and Industry energy team on 15 May and  (b) details of the departmental officials present at the presentation; and what reasons underlay the choice of the graphs and bar charts on energy usage posted on his departmental website following the presentation.

Malcolm Wicks: The Energy Review reported on 11 July. Information relating to the review, including the review document "The Energy Challenge", is available on the DTI website at: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review.
	Publishing details of the departmental officials present at the meeting on 15 May would risk exposing individual civil servants unfairly to public scrutiny, when they are unable to answer potential criticism.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As a result of the review my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in December 2005 progress has been made in engaging with stakeholder to identify the issues of concern and to develop practical solutions.
	Conclusions for the dialogue are currently being drawn together into a consultation document, which we aim to publish in the near future.
	The Department is anticipating that transposition of the WEEE Directive into the UK law will take place early in 2007.

Wind Turbines

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the long-term visual impact of wind turbines on local communities; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: All section 36 wind farm applications that fall to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to consider will be accompanied by an environmental impact assessment which will cover the impact during both construction and operation of the station. Visual impact is obviously one of the impacts considered.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what procedures are in place for preventing waste and embezzlement of UK funds for reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Gareth Thomas: DFID as a whole has robust accounting and financial management procedures, governed primarily by HM Treasury's Government Accounting Manual and developed over 40 years of ODA/DFID experience. As a member of the OECD's Development Assistance Committee, DFID also complies with good international practice on aid management. We are applying both these systems and good practice in Afghanistan, and are also working closely with other Government Departments to ensure good practice and financial compliance in managing funds.
	DFID currently channels around 75 per cent. of its £102 million programme to Afghanistan through the Government's budget. This helps the Government of Afghanistan to deliver essential public services and to strengthen its public financial management systems. Most of this goes through the Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). DFID has committed £165 million to the ARTF over the next three years (2006-07 to 2008-09). The ARTF is administered by the World Bank. It reimburses the Government of Afghanistan for expenditures that meet strict eligibility criteria in order to reduce the risk of waste and corruption. The World Bank considers both the type of expenditures and the process by which the money was spent. An independent monitoring agent (currently PricewaterhouseCoopers) monitors and reports on this to ensure it is effective.

Africa (UK Assistance)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK provides for organic cotton production in Africa.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 19 July 2006
	DFID has funded organisations such as Pesticide Action Network UK in support of organic cotton production in Africa. A study financed by DFID in 1998 highlighted positive developments in the organic cotton sector in Uganda. The UK also provides indirect support for organic cotton production in Africa through, for example, the European Union and its EU-Africa Partnership on Cotton.
	DFID is supporting broader African agriculture in a number of ways, which include support for organic cotton production. Much of this support for individual countries is targeted at country their own priorities and plans. DFID is also assisting the Africa Union/New Partnership for Africa's Development (AU/NEPAD) Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme to boost agricultural growth.

Africa (UK Assistance)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK aid programme offers to the development of links between rural and urban markets in Africa.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 19 July 2006
	Links between rural and urban markets are important for economic growth and for allowing the poor to participate in that growth. One of the key constraints is the poor state of infrastructure linking rural and urban areas.
	DFID is helping a number of countries in Africa to improve their road networks to link rural and urban markets. This includes specific projects to improve roads and transport services in countries such as Nigeria and Ghana in addition to budget support for implementation of countries' own infrastructure plans.
	DFID support for information and communications technology (ICT) is also helping to build effective links between rural and urban markets. For example, the DFID-supported Business Linkage Challenge Fund is helping to boost the outreach of mobile banking in Kenya.
	The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa was launched in London as a multi-donor initiative in October 2005. This is addressing regional infrastructure constraints to connecting markets across Africa, which will impact on rural-urban links. The UK has committed US $20 million for the work of the consortium.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in establishing the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit; and what its  (a) composition,  (b) budget and  (c) line of accountability will be.

Hilary Benn: The Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit (PCRU) was established at the end of 2004 to help improve the United Kingdom's capacity to contribute to achieving a stable environment in countries emerging from conflict. It seeks to do so by working closely with Government Departments and the military to help (a) facilitate joint military-civilian assessments of the immediate challenges and opportunities in such countries; (b) facilitate joint military and civilian planning; (c) share lessons to further improve the effectiveness of UK activities in helping to stabilise countries and (d) enhance Her Majesty's Government's capability to deploy civilians overseas to develop and oversee implementation of these plans during their initial stages.
	In the year since it became operational, the PCRU's achievements include:
	Facilitating an assessment and plan for the UK's engagement in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. It has provided seven staff and consultants over the last six months to support implementation of this plan in areas such as security, justice and governance, prior to the establishment of longer-term staffing by DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO);
	Providing the majority of the staff of the strategic delivery unit in the British embassy in Kabul which helps ensure the overall coherence of UK assistance in Afghanistan;
	Providing the team leader and support staff for the UK-led provincial reconstruction team in Basra which co-ordinates and helps deliver UK, US and Danish capacity building assistance to the Iraqi Government in the south, focusing on Basra Province;
	Providing advice in other areas such as UK security and justice sector work in Yemen and assisting the AU/AMIS in the development of an initial six month communications strategy for the Darfur Peace Agreement; and
	working with the Permanent Joint Headquarters in military exercises to demonstrate the value of integrated civilian/military planning.
	Currently, the PCRU has 28 personnel drawn from five Government Departments and agencies including DFID, FCO, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and HM Treasury. In responding to requests for deployment this is supplemented by drawing on its database of 400 experts. The unit's £10 million budget for 2006-07 finances core staff, deployment of these staff and consultant experts, and associated vehicles and communications.
	The unit's work is overseen by the Defence and Overseas Policy (Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction) Committee (DOP (CPR)). The DFID permanent secretary is accountable for staffing and finance.

Water

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many  (a) foreign-owned and  (b) British-owned businesses and consultancies have worked with his Department on water provision for the urban poor in the developing world since 1997.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 19 July 2006
	DFID does not maintain records of the ownership of businesses and consultancies that have worked with us in the urban water sector since 1997. Our investments are developed through close working with a range of stakeholders, such as national and local Governments overseas, other donors, civil society organisations and private sector companies.
	We provided a total of £221 million of development assistance in 2003-04 for water and sanitation. £131 million Of that was bilateral expenditure, of which approximately one-fifth was spent on urban water supply, one-quarter on rural water supply and one-fifth on humanitarian assistance.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Drinking Water (Perfluorooctane Sulfonate)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what level of perfluorooctane sulfonate is allowed in drinking water.

Ian Pearson: In the light of current advice from the Health Protection Agency, the Drinking Water Inspectorate's view is that to safeguard human health, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) should not be present in drinking water supplies above three microgrammes per litre (micro).

Wildlife Habitats

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government monitor the loss of wildlife habitats in urban areas.

Barry Gardiner: The Government do not specifically monitor the loss of wildlife habitats in urban areas. However, the recently published report on progress under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan suggests that the last three years have seen more positive signs of progress. The list of priority species and habitats is also being reviewed to ensure that the UK Biodiversity Action Plan remains responsive both to new information and to conservation needs.

Market Towns

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many market towns have participated in his Department's market town initiative.

Barry Gardiner: More than 230 towns have benefited from support through this initiative.

Recycling

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the local government association on the setting of targets for recycling.

Ben Bradshaw: We have had regular discussions with representatives of local government and others to discuss recycling and other waste matters. The LGA have also submitted a formal response to our current waste review.

Growth-promoting Hormones

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with non-EU countries on the use of growth-promoting hormones in raising livestock.

Ben Bradshaw: None.

Warm Front Initiative

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many properties in Burnley have received funding from the Department's Warm Front initiative.

Ian Pearson: Some 5,530 households in Burnley have benefited from a range of financial support and help from the Government since the Warm Front programme began.

British Sugar Plant (Shropshire)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will visit Shrewsbury to discuss with local sugar beet farmers the closure of the main British Sugar plant in Shropshire.

Barry Gardiner: My noble Friend Lord Rooker has already met growers' representatives at both national and local level to discuss the planned factory closures.

Biodiversity

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support his Department gives farmers to manage land in ways that promote greater biodiversity.

Ian Pearson: The Government provide over £300 million a year for farmers through agri-environment schemes such as Environmental Stewardship to promote greater biodiversity.

Correspondence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will reply to the letters from the Assistant Director for Planning of Bridgend county borough council (BCBC) dated 9 August 2005, 26 August 2005 and 19 October 2005, and from the Chief Executive of BCBC dated 7 December 2005, 11 January 2006 and 4 April 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs replied to Kerrie Lewis, the Chief Executive of BCBC, on 27 June 2006.
	This letter has been copied to both the hon. Member and the Assistant Director for Planning of BCBC.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

2012 Olympics

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the level of capital funding that local authorities intend to spend on sports facilities in the period leading up to the 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	It is estimated that local authorities in England plan to spend £621 million on sports and recreation services in 2006-07. No estimates of planned local authority spending on sports facilities are available for later years.

Analogue Radio Spectrum

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are to switch off the analogue radio spectrum.

Shaun Woodward: There are no current plans for a switchover to digital radio. However, section 67 of the Broadcasting Act 1996 requires the Secretary of State to keep under review the development of digital radio for the purposes of considering how long it would be appropriate for sound broadcasting services to be provided in analogue form. The first review in 2004 found that both the BBC and Ofcom agreed that it was premature to set a switchover date. We are, however, working with Ofcom and the industry to overcome the remaining potential barriers to digital radio.

Commonwealth Institute

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last visited the Commonwealth Institute building.

Tessa Jowell: I last visited the Commonwealth Institute building on 5 December 2002.

Departmental Emissions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the carbon emissions of her Department; what commitment she has made to reducing such emissions; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The most recent estimate for carbon emissions produced by my Department's office estate is 799,616.74 kg in the year 2004-05.
	We are fully committed to the cross-Government targets to reduce carbon emissions by 12.5 per cent. by 2010 and by 30 per cent. by 2020 (relative to 1999-2000 levels).

Food Advertising (Children)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps Ofcom took to elicit responses to its consultation on television advertising for food products targeting children from those  (a) in favour of and  (b) opposed to restrictions.

Shaun Woodward: The matters raised are the responsibility of the Office of Communications as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to my hon. Friend. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Outsourcing

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what administrative functions for which her Department is responsible are outsourced overseas; and what assessment she has made of the merits of outsourcing further such functions overseas.

David Lammy: None of the Department's administrative functions has been outsourced overseas, nor are there any plans to do so.

Sports Funding

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the percentage of local authority  (a) capital and  (b) revenue funding that will be spent on sport in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The percentage of local authority  (a) capital and  (b) revenue net current expenditure that will be spent on sport in the current financial year is tabled as follows. The figures for 2007-08 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Financial year  Capital  Revenue 
			 2006-07 3.6 0.7 
		
	
	The capital figures are based on forecast data from Capital Estimate Returns (CER) for 2006-07.
	The revenue data are as reported by local authorities and are taken from Revenue Account budget (RA) returns for 2006-07.
	The definition of council revenue net current expenditure used here is expenditure on employees and running expenses net of sales, fees and charges, internal recharges and other non-grant income (such as receipts from other authorities), but gross of expenditure funded by specific grants and interest receipts.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities and method of reporting the information. In particular, budget data for 2006-07 have been calculated on an FRS 17 basis. Hence, figures for different years may not be directly comparable.

Sports Funding

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the percentage of local authority  (a) capital and  (b) revenue funding that was spent on sport in each of the last five financial years; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The percentage of local authority  (a) capital and  (b) revenue net current expenditure that was spent on sport and recreation in each of the last five financial years is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Financial year  Capital  Revenue 
			 2001-02 3.2 0.9 
			 2002-03 2.7 0.9 
			 2003-04 2.1 0.7 
			 2004-05 2.1 0.7 
			 2005-06 2.8 0.7 
		
	
	The capital figures are based on final outturn data from Capital Outturn Returns (COR) for 2001-02 to 2004-05 and on provisional outturn data from Capital Payments Returns (CPR4) for 2005-06.
	The revenue data are as reported by local authorities and are taken from Revenue Outturn (RO) and Revenue Summary (RS) returns for 2001-02 to 2004-05, and Revenue Account budget (RA) returns for 2005-06.
	The definition of council revenue net current expenditure used here is expenditure on employees and running expenses net of sales, fees and charges, internal recharges and other non-grant income (such as receipts from other authorities), but gross of expenditure funded by specific grants and interest receipts.
	Comparisons across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities and method of reporting the information. In particular, the revenue outturn data for 2001-02 to 2002-03 have been calculated on a non-FRS (Financial Reporting Standard) 17 basis while the outturn data for 2003-04 to 2004-05 have been calculated on an FRS 17 basis. The budget data for 2005-06 are a mix of FRS 17 and non-FRS 17. This is because for their 2005-06 budget forms local authorities, after consultation, were given the option to complete their forms either on a non-FRS 17 basis or on an FRS 17 basis. Hence, figures for different years may not be directly comparable.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Solicitor-General what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: I am answering this question on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, the Treasury Solicitor's Department, the Serious Fraud Office, the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.
	For the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the figures available are as follows (all figures include VAT):
	 The COMPASS programme
	The COMPASS programme is a 10-year public finance initiative partnership between the CPS and LogicaCMG to modernise information technology within the CPS.
	 (a) When the COMPASS contract was awarded (December 2001 to begin April 2002) the value was estimated at approximately £240 million over the period of the contract, based on the parameters at the time such as the number of sites and users and the legislative environment.
	 (b) The estimated outturn cost to the end of the contract is £408 million.
	 (c) The outturn cost as at 31 March 2006 is £122 million.
	The difference between the original estimate and the most recent estimate of the cost of the contract reflects: higher staff numbers, a larger number of locations where COMPASS is available, improvements in service levels and the development of a new system to support witness care units, none of which could have been anticipated when the contract was let.
	 Finance and accounting record management system (FARMS)
	FARMS is the CPS's finance and accounting record management system.
	 (a) Original estimate for full life costs based on "best and final offer" September 2003: £9.723 million.
	 (b) Revised estimate for full life costs based as at March 2005: £10.195 million.
	 (c) Outturn to 31 March 2006: £6.103 million.
	Managed service and support costs are indexed at 3 per cent. pa. The five-year managed service contract commenced in August 2004 and finishes in July 2009.
	Other, smaller contracts (for example the payroll and HR systems and the corporate information system) began over five years ago and have subsequently been incorporated into the wider COMPASS programme.
	For the Treasury Solicitor's Department the following table shows the originally estimated, most recently estimated and outturn cost of the five largest IT contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   £000  
			  Contract  Original estimate (a)  Most recent estimate (b)  Outturn cost (c)  Comments 
			 1. Practice and Case Management System Development 2,061 2,061 2,346 Contract for development of system concluded December 2004. 
			  
			 2. Lexis Nexis Legal Information Subscription Services 1,548 1,548 1,012 3-year index-linked subscription service contract, currently in 3rd year, hence reduced outturn cost. TSol recharges 77.5 per cent. of total cost. 
			  
			 3. Lawtel Legal Information Subscription Services 623 623 405 3-year index-linked subscription service contract, currently in 3rd year, hence reduced outturn cost. TSol recharges 77.5 per cent. of total cost. 
			  
			 4. OKS Accommodation Move Desktop Refresh 566 566 414 Includes cost of purchase of workstation equipment minus £20,000 buy-back on existing workstations. 
			  
			 5. Hardware Contract for Practice and Case Management System 547 401 384 Storage Area Network costs for implementation 
		
	
	The following table shows the five companies that the Serious Fraud Office has made the largest payments to from financial year 2001-02 to 2005-06 inclusive.
	
		
			  Total expenditure 2001-05 
			  Company  £ 
			 Legal Inc 870,256 
			 Computacentre 2,086,249 
			 IBM UK 6,954,409 
			 Logica 2,743,972 
			 RWM Data 1,672,439 
		
	
	These contracts are all for ongoing IT or technology related services and not for discrete projects. Expenditure is controlled by purchase orders and annual budgets, so the question of estimated and outturn expenditure does not arise.
	The Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office was established as a new Department on 18 April 2005. Since its creation RCPO has procured the majority of its information technology services from HM Revenue and Customs. The outturn cost of these services during 2005-06 was £1.9 million. In addition to these services RCPO has used IT consultants in relation to specific projects. Their total cost during 2005-06 was £0.13 million. The Department has recently created a new post, Head of Information Services, and this was filled on 3 May 2006 initially on a six-month contract by an IT professional with 18 years experience in the IT industry and with technical, project management and service delivery expertise. He also has considerable experience in working with UK central Government. As well as receiving a considerable amount of technical and professional training from a previous employee, IBM, he has a Diploma in Business Studies.
	The information technology requirements of HM Crown Prosecution Services Inspectorate are provided through the services of CPS service desk and their provider Logica.
	The only IT investment undertaken through our own budget relates to the design/development and improvement/updating of the HMCPSI website. Over the last four years a total of £22,264 (incl. VAT) has been spent on this work.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Concessionary Travel

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance the Government have given to local authorities on the treatment of money allocated to councils for the concessionary travel scheme but not spent; and whether such under-spending should be returned to central Government.

Phil Woolas: The Government have issued no guidance to local authorities on the treatment of money for concessionary fares.
	Local authorities' responsibilities for concessionary fares are funded through general grant from Government (consisting mainly of Revenue Support Grant and re-distributed National Non-Domestic Rates) and through income generated by authorities, including council tax. General grant is not hypothecated to a particular service and councils are free to use the funding in line with the wishes of their electorate, taking into account their statutory responsibilities.

Council Tax

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1800W to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), on council tax, how many copies of council tax bills were received by  (a) registered and  (b) recorded post at (i) Eland House and (ii) 26 Whitehall; and how many of the written representations about council tax included copies of council tax bills.

Phil Woolas: It is not possible to identify reliably which documents received by registered or recorded post by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister were copies of council tax bills. Approximately 1,700 of the copies of council tax bills received came with a separate written representation enclosed.

Departmental Estate

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times her ministerial office has been decorated in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006. Since that time the ministerial office of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has not been decorated.
	There is no redecoration programme in the DCLG HQ buildings, with all such work being carried out on an ad-hoc basis following routine inspections by the Facilities Management team. The dates of redecoration of any particular area during the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Draft Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her practice is regarding meeting, discussing and taking into account the views and opinions of  (a) private individuals and  (b) representatives of organisations, when drawing up and framing legislation to be introduced by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department always seeks a full range of views when drawing up and framing legislation. Consultation is a key part of the policy-making process; both informal and formal. The Department holds regular meetings with representatives of the principal stakeholder groups for our policy areas and with relevant experts. Organisations and individuals can also contribute to the Department's formal consultations which abide by the Code of Conduct on Consultation. Known stakeholders are generally alerted when a formal consultation is taking place. As required by the code, the Department then gives feedback on the responses received and on how the consultation process influenced the policy decision.
	For example the 'Greater London Authority: Proposals for Additional Powers' consultation ran from 30 November 2005 to 22 February 2006. Copies of the consultation paper were circulated to over 400 organisations and individuals with an interest in London's governance, and to all main public libraries in London. The proposals were also made publicly available on the DCLG and GLA websites. In addition the Minister for London hosted two seminars as part of the overall review, attended by a range of stakeholders. DCLG received 337 consultation responses and a summary of responses was published on 13 July 2006 alongside our conclusions on what new powers the GLA should be given. Most of these will be enacted by primary or secondary legislation and we intend to undertake further consultation as part of the implementation process.

Hostels

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact of the judicial decision in Beasley  v. National Council of YMCA's QBD (2000) RA 429; and whether she plans to bring forward measures in response to the situation on the treatment of self-contained living quarters within hostels for council tax purposes.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Communities and Local Government has made no assessment of the impact of the decision in Beasley  v. National Council of YMCAs. The Valuation Office Agency takes account of all relevant case law when determining whether to band a dwelling separately for council tax purposes. The Government have no plans to amend the current legislation governing when a single property should be treated as more than one dwelling for council tax purposes.

Litter Collection (Swindon)

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to Swindon borough council for litter collection in 2006-07.

Phil Woolas: Waste collection is one of the district-level services included in the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block. The EPCS block is one of seven service blocks supported via Formula Grant. Formula Grant comprises Revenue Support Grant, Redistributed Business Rates and principal formula Police Grant. Formula Grant is an unhypothecated block grant: authorities are able to use the money for any service. This, together with the way in which Formula Grant is calculated, particularly the application of floor damping, means that it is not possible to say how much grant was provided for environmental, protective and cultural services.

Local Government

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of newspaper advertising as a means of communicating information about proposals under the Local Authorities Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	A working group of representatives from national and local authorities has recently considered whether the procedures for advertising Traffic Regulation Orders should be streamlined. The group made several recommendations concerning the advertising of different types of order. We are considering the recommendations and will consult publicly on formal proposals arising.

Minimum Dig Working

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to encourage local authorities  (a) to join and  (b) to participate in the activities of societies and other bodies associated with minimum dig working;
	(2)  what steps she has taken to ensure that local authorities inform their staff of the availability of trenchless technology for underground works on council services.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	Decisions on highways maintenance are a matter for the individual highway authority.
	The Department welcomes local authority participation in professional bodies which promote the adoption of best practice in highway maintenance. Through the UK Roads Board, my officials have regular contact with the County Surveyors Society and the local authority Technical Advisors Group, which represent engineers from a wide range of local authorities. Last year, the Board published 'Well-maintained Highways' (TSO, July 2005), a code of practice for highway maintenance management, which encourages both a focus on the needs of road users and continuous improvement in delivery (which includes effective staff training).

Parking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements councils are under to publish  (a) their parking accounts and  (b) a statement of their parking enforcement activities.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	Councils are currently under no obligation to publish their parking accounts or a statement of their parking enforcement activities. The current public consultation "Better Parking—Keeping Traffic Moving", launched on 12 July 2006, proposes that English councils with decriminalised parking enforcement powers should publish annual reports containing financial and statistical data about their parking activities.
	The consultation document is available in the Libraries of the House and on the Department for Transport website at
	www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/divisionhomepage/612002.hcsp.

Population Estimates

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact on local authorities of the mid-year population estimates; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Population data supplied by the Office for National Statistics are used throughout the formula grant distribution system. Both population projections and mid-year estimates are used in relative needs formula indicators. Population projections are also used to determine the relative needs amount, relative resource amount and central allocation as these are calculated on a per head basis. The distribution of formula grant is also affected by the social and economic characteristics of an area, a council's relative ability to raise council tax, and floor damping.
	Department for Communities and Local Government officials have met a number of local authorities, including Slough, to discuss their concerns on their mid-year population estimates. However, the ONS population figures remain the best data available on a consistent basis for all authorities.

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public appointments are within her patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Angela Smith: Details of public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government can be found in 'Public Bodies', copies of which are in the Library. 'Public Bodies' has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Each edition of 'Public Bodies' contains details on the number of public appointments and remuneration details for that particular year. The Department for Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006 as a result of Machinery of Government changes; its predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, was formed in May 2002. Therefore comparable figures are not available.
	Current details held centrally on the remuneration attached to each Chair and Board Member, correct at 31 March 2006, are set out in the following table. The information covers bodies that fall within the remit of the Commissioner for Pubic Appointments.
	
		
			  Advisory NDPBs 
			  Public Body  Chair (£)  Members (£)  Time Input 
			 Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils 213 pd 163 pd 25 dpy 
			15 dpy 
			 Advisory Panel on Standards in the Planning Inspectorate 213 pd 163 pd 2 dpm 
			2 dpm 
			 Building Regulations Advisory Committee Unpaid Unpaid 35 dpy varies 
			 Community Forum Unpaid 163 pd 4 dpy 
			12 dpy 
			 Women's National Commission (recently transferred to DCLG) 10,000 pa Unpaid 5 dpm 
			2 dpm (maximum attendance) 
		
	
	
		
			  Executive NDPBs 
			  Public Body  Chair/Deputy Chair (£)  Members/Members with additional duties (£)  Time Input 
			 Audit Commission 57,896 pa 13,508 pa/18,011 pa 2 dpw 
			3 dpm/4 dpm 
			 Commission for Racial Equality (recently transferred to DCLG) 128,625 pa 160 pd 5 dpw 
			20-30 dpy 
			 English Partnerships 82,390 pa/35,864 pa 11,743 pa 3 dpw/2 dpw 
			3 dpm 
			 Equal Opportunities Commission (recently transferred to DCLG) 96,600 pa/l0,360 pa 160 pd 161 dpy/40 dpy 
			30 dpy 
			 FireBuy 6,000 pa/4,000 pa 4,000 pa 3 dpm/2 dpm 
			2 dpm 
			 Housing Action Trust Stonebridge 35,913 pa/12,184 pa 7,130 pa 2 dpw/1 dpw 
			0.5 dpw 
			 Housing Corporation 47,399 pa/27,109 pa 12,362 pa/14,993 pa 2 dpw/4 dpm 
			2 dpm/2 dpm 
			 Leasehold Advisory Service Unpaid Unpaid 1 dpm 
			1 dpm 
			 London Thames Gateway Development Corporation 45,775 pa/34,450 pa 11,574 pa 2 dpw/2 dpw 
			3 dpm 
			 Standards Board for England 40,000 pa/10,480 pa 7,130 pa 2 dpw/2.5 dpm 
			2 dpm 
			 Thurrock Urban Development Corporation 46,690 pa/35,074 pa 11,805 pa 2 dpw/2 dpw 
			3 dpm 
			 Valuation Tribunal Service 54,000 pa/262 pd 262 pd 3 dpw/20 dpy 
			15 dpy 
			 West Northants Development Corporation 44,528 pa/33,450 pa 11,259 pa 2 dpw/2 dpw 
			3 dpm 
		
	
	
		
			  Public Corporations 
			  Public Body  Chair/Deputy Chair (£)  Members (£)  Time Input 
			 Architects Registration Board 250 pd 250 pd 20 dpy 
			  Key pa = per annum pd = per day dpw = days per week dpm = days per month dpy = days per year

Roads and Pavements

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of each local authority for road and pavement maintenance was in each of the last two years; and what the overspend or underspend of each was in each year.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on local authorities' highway maintenance budgets is not held centrally.
	The Department provides capital maintenance funding for English local highways authorities outside London for investment in their highway network, including its structures and street lighting. It is for each local authority to determine how its allocations are spent, in line with its priorities.

Supporting People Strategy

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department plans to publish the Supporting People National Strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I published an initial strategy paper for consultation, "Creating Sustainable Communities", in November of last year. Following extensive consultation, I published "Supporting Independence: Next Steps in our Supporting People Strategy" on the 11 July this year, which outlined a number of potential areas for development of the programme. A final strategy is currently being developed, and is planned for publication in the autumn.

Training Courses

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent on training courses in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: DCLG central spent £3.92million on learning and development activities for the financial year 2005-06

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representatives from the Valuation Office Agency attended the IRRV conference in Blackpool in May; and to what extent they participated.

Phil Woolas: Ministers are responsible for Government policy. The actions of and the naming of individual civil servants are not matters for public discussion.

Valuebill Database

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Government have made of whether the planned valuebill database will hold sensitive personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998.

Phil Woolas: Valuebill aims to improve the electronic exchange of property information between local authorities and the Valuation Office Agency and to better link existing property databases through the provision of a unique property reference number. The information exchanges that Valuebill seeks to facilitate do not relate to sensitive personal information within the definition of the Data Protection Act.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart regarding the draw down of US troops from Afghanistan and the security plans thereafter; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1138, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox).

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1131-48, on Afghanistan (troop levels), how many extra  (a) medical and  (b) logistical support personnel will be deployed as part of the additional deployment to Helmand Province; and when they will arrive.

Des Browne: On current plans, the enhancements to the Helmand Taskforce announced on 10 July will include around 15 additional medical support personnel and 150 logistics support personnel, all of whom will deploy around September.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the  (a) Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and  (b) Secretary of State for International Development regarding the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: I have regular discussions with my colleagues, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for International Development, on a wide range of issues.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme tariff is being applied in the same way in relation to mental ill health and physical injury; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: holding answer 14 July 2006
	The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is a tariff based scheme designed to provide compensation for service personnel injured, made ill or killed through service since 6 April 2005. The tariffs cover the full range of injuries, physical and mental, likely to affect service personnel. The Scheme is administered by the Veterans Agency which applies the same determination process to all conditions whether physical or mental. An evaluation of all aspects of the first year of operation of the Scheme is currently being carried out involving interested parties, one of which is Combat Stress. The evaluation will be in the light of experience and evidence of cases arising so far, including those who have suffered from mental health issues.

Colombia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 703W, on Colombia, whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which the training given for the disposal of explosive devices is within the de-mining framework of the Human Rights Programme of the Colombian Vice-Presidency and the anti personnel mines observatory; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The explosive device disposal assistance provided to the Colombian armed forces by the MOD through its humanitarian de-mining training sits very well within the de-mining framework of the Human Rights Programme of the Colombian Vice-Presidency. The work of the latter is done through the Anti-Personnel Mines Observatory, as the Colombian Government's vehicle for the application of the Ottawa Convention.
	The Observatory aims to achieve its goals by following an action plan that includes: the generation of knowledge and information on landmine issues, prevention, assistance to victims and removal of mines; promoting the solidarity of the international community for developing national actions in applying the Ottawa convention; education work to help prevention; promoting humanitarian de-mining; and regulating, disseminating, promoting, applying and monitoring various aspects of the De-mining National Plan, including the Regime of Collection and Destruction of anti-personnel mines.
	MOD personnel providing de-mining training enter into consultation with personnel from the Anti-Personnel Mines Observatory to ensure the training we give ties in with their action plan. MOD humanitarian de-mining training affects the removal of mines, and promotes public education and awareness of landmine issues. Thus it is well positioned to meet a number of the Vice President's priorities.
	The humanitarian de-mining training provided by the MOD in 2006 conformed to the International Mines Action Standards (IMAS) 2005. This is the acknowledged international standard approved by the UN and is used worldwide. We have an aspiration that for future courses Colombian students will gain IMAS accreditation through such training.

FEPOW Scheme

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 30 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on Far East Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees (FEPOW Scheme), when he expects to announce the findings of Mr. Watkins' report; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement that I made on 19 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 26-27 WS.

International Security Assistance Force

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with NATO allies on the provision of additional troops and resources to the International Security Assistance Force.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1143, to my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford, South (Mike Gapes).

Iraq

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an evaluation of the experience of dealing with the TMRP-6 mine in Bosnia has been carried out in the context of the emergence of explosively formed projectile mines in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has an established process to review operational experiences, which provides the primary mechanism whereby we can translate lessons and best practice into enhanced capability. Lessons learned from our experience of the TMRP-6 have been evaluated and where appropriate implemented. However, we must be careful not to generalise conclusions drawn from one specific threat as the improvised threats we currently face on operations are not easily characterised.

Iraq

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer by the Solicitor-General of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1111W, on Iraq, what investigations he has undertaken into the practice of wetting; how far up the chain of command knowledge of the practice extended; and what steps he has taken to ensure that the practice is not continued.

Tom Watson: Wetting is not an official military procedure although the military chain of command is aware that this practice is alleged to have taken place in specific cases which have been individually investigated.
	All officers and soldiers receive training in ethics throughout their careers. Training is first provided during Initial Training, when a soldier or officer joins the Army, with further training linked to rank and responsibility, usually when an officer or soldier is promoted. In addition, every officer and soldier receives refresher training on an annual basis through the Military Annual Training Tests which maintain Common Military Skills. This routine training is reinforced during Pre-Deployment Training where all soldiers and officers receive refresher training on the Values and Standards of the British Army, Equality and Diversity and the Law of Armed Conflict.
	Where there are any allegations that soldiers have failed to act within the law or their rules of engagement, those allegations will be investigated and where appropriate, action will be taken against individuals.

Military Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has carried out an assessment of the design of the Force Protection MUV-R Joint Light Tactical Vehicle prototype for suitability as a tactical patrol vehicle for the British Army.

Adam Ingram: We continually review new developments across the defence industry. We are aware of the Force Protection Inc. MUV-R and as the Secretary of State announced on 26 June we are conducting a review of the options for protected patrol vehicles to determine what can be done as soon as possible and in the longer term.

Military Vehicles

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the official designation is of the Snatch Land Rover; when it was first produced for the British Army; how many versions have been produced; how many of each version have been produced; what levels of ballistic protection each version offers; and what the approximate cost per vehicle is of the current version.

Adam Ingram: The original SNATCH Land Rover was produced in 1992 and a total of 991 were procured. There have been four different upgrades producing five variants as follows:
	
		
			  Version  Official designation  Number 
			 1 Truck utility medium (TUM) hardtop with vehicle protection kit (VPK) Land Rover 1 10 V8 Petrol. 30 
			 1.5 TUM hardtop with VPK Land Rover 1 10 V8 petrol (desertised). (1)278 
			 2 TUM high specification (TUM HS) hardtop with VPK left hand drive 12Volt with air conditioning unit refurbished 2005. (2)77 
			 2A TUM HS hardtop with VPK 24Volt with air conditioning unit refurbished 2005. (3)351 
			 2B TUM HS hardtop with VPK 24Volt refurbished 2005. (4)225 
			 (1) Refurbished from SNATCH 1 (2 )Modified from SNATCH 1 and 1.5 (3 )Programme to refurbish from SNATCH 1 and 1.5 currently ongoing (4) Refurbished from SNATCH land 1.5 
		
	
	30 SNATCH have been removed from service leaving a current total of 961. The approximate cost of a SNATCH 2A is around £60,000. We do not comment on protection levels, as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the security of our armed forces.

Nuclear Deterrent

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he was first informed of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's public commitment to retention of the nuclear deterrent in the long term.

Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1107W.

Review Board for Government Contracts

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written statement of 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 99WS, on the report by the Review Board for Government Contracts, when he will place a copy of the report in the Library.

Adam Ingram: Hard copies of the Review Board's 2006 Annual Review, published by The Stationery Office (TSO), will be placed in the Library this week. An electronic copy of the report is available on the main MOD website at the following address:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/Corporate Publications/Reports/ReportsForBusiness/ReviewBoardGov Contracts/.

Submarines

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of the decommissioning of the Vanguard Class submarines.

Des Browne: Decommissioning of the Vanguard Class submarines is still some way off. Officials are investigating decommissioning costs as part of the work to prepare for decisions, which will be taken later this year, on the future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.

Submarines

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Astute Class submarines have been considered as the launch platform for the next generation of Trident missiles.

Des Browne: Work is now under way to prepare for decisions on the future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent, which will be taken later this year. Ministers have been briefed by officials on some of the relevant issues and have requested that further work be undertaken. It is too early to rule in or out any particular option.

Trident

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual maintenance cost of the Trident weapons system is expected to be in 2006-07; and what the cost was in each of the last five years.

Des Browne: The annual expenditure for capital and running costs of the Trident nuclear deterrent, including costs for the Atomic Weapons Establishment, is expected to be between 5 and 5.5 per cent. of the Defence budget in 2006-07. For the costs in the last five years, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone) on 3 July 2006,  Official Report, column 713W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 27 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. M. Wood, transferred from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

John Reid: A reply was sent to my right hon. Friend on 5 May 2006. I will arrange for a copy of the reply to be sent to you.

Crime Statistics

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of carrying a knife in a public place in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Data for the number of people convicted for offences relating to carrying a knife in a public place in Suffolk police force area, from 2000 to 2004, can be found in the following table. Court proceedings data for 2005 will be available in autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of people convicted at all courts for offences relating to carrying a knife in a public place, in Suffolk police force area( 1)  2000-04 
			  Statute  Offence description  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.3 Having an article with blade or point in public place. 30 30 61 52 68 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1998 S.319A (1)(5)(a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4(1) Having an article with blade or point on school premises 0 1 0 0 0 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, police forces and other agencies. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Crime Statistics

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many under-18 year olds were convicted of illegally carrying  (a) knives and  (b) other weapons in each year since 1990.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 25 May 2006
	 Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of under 18-year-olds found guilty for selected offences related to the illegal possession and carrying of knives and other weapons in England and Wales from 1990-2004, are provided in the following tables.
	Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn.
	
		
			  Number of offenders aged under 18 found guilty at all courts for selected offences related to the illegal carrying of knives, guns and other weapons, England and Wales, 1990-2004( 1) 
			  Offence description  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997 
			 Possession of firearm with intent to endanger life — 2 1 — — 8 4 12 
			  
			 Using firearms or imitation firearms to resist arrest 2 1 1 — 2 4 4 2 
			  
			 Possessing firearms or imitation firearm at time of committing or being arrested for an offence specified in schedule 1 of the Firearms Act 9 6 4 10 7 5 8 10 
			  
			 Possessing firearm or imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence or resist arrest 10 14 16 11 9 13 13 8 
			  
			 Possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence — — — — — 13 27 36 
			  
			 Other firearms offences(2) 31 45 35 29 52 84 61 76 
			  
			 Having an article with blade or point in public place — — — — — — 114 476 
			  
			 Having an article with blade or point on school premises(3) — — — — — — 2 6 
			  
			 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 586 494 439 377 408 482 613 648 
			  
			 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises — — — — — — — 2 
		
	
	
		
			  Offence description  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Possession of firearm with intent to endanger life 5 9 6 6 4 11 7 
			 Using firearms or imitation firearms to resist arrest — 2 — 1 1 — 1 
			 Possessing firearms or imitation firearm at time of committing or being arrested for an offence specified in schedule 1 of the Firearms Act 22 13 12 19 27 33 17 
			 
			 Possessing firearm or imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence or resist arrest 20 17 26 15 20 18 19 
			 
			 Possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence 55 64 55 88 89 82 81 
			 
			 Other firearms offences(2) 73 76 74 103 99 108 171 
			 
			 Having an article with blade or point in public place 552 541 680 939 948 910 992 
			 
			 Having an article with blade or point on school premises(3) 9 5 12 8 16 15 27 
			 
			 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 699 675 858 1,116 1,071 971 1,181 
			 
			 Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse on school premises 8 9 6 12 15 10 18 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Includes offences related to trespass with firearms, selling, supplying, illegal modification and the possession of loaded firearms in public. (3) Excludes data provided by West Mercia police force area

Crime Statistics

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of carrying a knife in a public place in the Humberside police authority area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, showing convictions for people carrying a knife in Humberside police authority from 1997 to 2004, are in the following table.
	Figures for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for carrying a knife in a public place, within the Humberside police force area, 1997 to 2004( 1) 
			  Offence  Statute  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Having an article with blade or point in public place. Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.3 43 45 65 53 46 69 63 105 
			 Having an article with blade or point on school premises. Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (1)(5)(a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996S.4(1) 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 1 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  Source: ROS-Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Crime Statistics

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of carrying  (a) a knife, or other bladed weapon and  (b) a gun in a public place in the Humberside police authority area in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Data for the number of people convicted for offences relating to  (a) carrying a knife, or other bladed weapon and  (b) a gun in a public place in Humberside police force area, 1996 to 2004 can be found in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of persons convicted for offences relating to carrying a knife, or other bladed weapon, in Humberside police force area ( 1)  2000-04 
			  Statute  Offence description  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Prevention of Crime Act 1953 Sec. 1(1) as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.2(1) Possession of offensive weapons without lawful authority or reasonable excuse 53 64 92 82 71 65 77 112 106 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.3. Having an article with blade or point in public place. 4 43 45 65 53 46 69 63 105 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (1)(5)(a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.4(1). Having an article with blade or point on school premises. — — — — 2 — — 2 1 
			 Total  57 107 137 147 126 111 146 177 212 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons convicted for offences relating to carrying a gun in a public place, in Humberside police force area( 1,2) , 2000-04 
			  Statute  Offence description  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 16 (Group I) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(2). Possession of firearm with intent to endanger life 6 6 2 2 4 1 — 1 — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 16 (Group II) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(2). Possession of firearm with intent to endanger life — 3 — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 16 (Group III) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(2). Possession of firearm with intent to endanger life . — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 17(1) (Group I) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(2). Using firearms or imitation firearms to resist arrest. — — — 1 — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 17(1) (Group II) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(2). Using firearms or imitation firearms to resist arrest. — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 17(1) (Group ill) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(2). Using firearms or imitation firearms to resist arrest. — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 17(2) (Group I) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(3). Possessing firearms or imitation fire arm at time of committing or being arrested for an offence specified in schedule 1 of the Act. 1 2 1 — — 1 1 5 — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 17(2) (Group II) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(3). Possessing firearm or imitation firearm at time of committing or being arrested for an offence specified in schedule 1 of the Act. — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 17(2) (Group III) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(3). Possessing firearm or imitation firearm at time of committing or being arrested for an offence specified in schedule 1 of the Act. — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 18(1) (Group I) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(3). Possessing firearm or imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence or resist arrest. 2 2 — — — — — — 3 
			 Firearms Act. 1068 Sec. 18(1) (Group II) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S2S(3). Possessing firearm or imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence or resist arrest. — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 18(1) (Group III) as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1972 S28(3). Possessing firearm or imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence or resist arrest. — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 16A (as amended by Firearms (Amendment) Act 1994)Group I. Possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. 3 2 5 7 3 9 6 5 13 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 16A (as amended by Firearms (Amendment) Act 1994) (Group II). Possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. 1 — 1 — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 16A (as amended by Firearms (Amendment) Act 1994) (Group III). Possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. — 3 4 4 1 — — 1 1 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 1(2) as amended by Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 S.12 and Sch.2 (13). Non-compliance with condition of firearm certificate-aggravated form (small-calibre pistols). — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 (Group I) Sec. 1(1),as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157, Sch.8 part III. Possessing etc firearm or ammunition without firearm certificate. 9 7 4 5 — 4 3 5 8 
			 Firearms Act, 1968 Sec. 5(1) (Group I) as amended by Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157 Sch.8 part III. Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition. 2 4 5 5 7 8 9 9 10 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec 19 (Group I) as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157 Sch.8 part III. Carrying loaded firearm in public place etc. — 1 1 — 1 — 1 — 3 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec 19 (Group II) as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157 Sch.8 part III. Carrying loaded firearm in public place etc. — 1 — — — — — — 1 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 19A as added by Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 S.11. Having small-calibre pistol outside promises of licensed pistol club. — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 20(1) (Group I) as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157 Sch.8 part III. Trespassing with firearm or imitation firearm in a building. 1 — — 1 — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 20(1) (Group II) as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157 Sch.8 part III. Trespassing with firearm or imitation firearm in a building. — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 21(4) (Group I) as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157 Sch.8 part III. Possession of firearms by persons previously convicted of crime. 3 3 2 3 3 1 4 1 2 
			 Firearms Act, 1968 Sec. 21(4) (Group II) as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157 Sch.8 part III. Possession of firearms by persons previously convicted of crime. — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Firearms Act, 1968 Sec. 21(4) (Group III) as amended by Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Sec.157 Sch.8 part III. Possession of firearms by persons previously convicted of crime. 2 1 2 2 — — 2 2 2 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 5(1A)(a) (Group I) as amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 Sec.288 Possessing or distributing firearm disguised as other object — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act, 1968 Sec.19 (Group III). Carrying loaded firearm in public place etc. 5 6 9 2 7 3 3 5 3 
			 Firearms Act, 1968 Sec.20(1) (Group III). Trespassing with firearm in a building — — — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec.20(2) (Group I). Trespassing with firearm on land. 1 — — 1 2 1 2 — — 
			 Firearms Act 1968 Sec. 20(2) (Group II). Trespassing with firearm on land. — 1 — — — — — — — 
			 Firearms Act, 1968 Sec. 20(2) (Group III). Trespassing with firearm on land. 4 2 5 — — — — — — 
			 Total  40 44 41 33 28 28 31 34 47 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Crime Statistics

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many under 18-year-olds were convicted of illegally carrying  (a) knives and  (b) other weapons in each year since 1990, broken down by police authority; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of under 18-year-olds found guilty for selected offences relating to the illegal possession and carrying of knives and other weapons are provided in the following table (which will be placed in the Library).
	Data for offence code 827 for West Mercia police force area include some coding errors between the years 2000 and 2004 and have been excluded from the table.
	Figures for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Defendants found guilty at all courts for selected offences related to the illegal carrying of knives, guns and other weapons, by police force area, England and Wales, 2004 
			   Offences 
			  Police force area  514-516  517-519  813-815  816-818  823-825  81  826  827  811  828 
			 Avon and Somerset — — 1 1 — 4 28 — 14 1 
			 Bedfordshire — — — — 1 2 6 1 15 — 
			 Cambridgeshire — — — — — — 6 — 6 — 
			 Cheshire — — — — — 4 9 — 22 — 
			 Cleveland — — — — 1 — 11 1 16 — 
			 Cumbria — — — — — — 8 — 5 — 
			 Derbyshire — — — — 1 10 17 — 13 — 
			 Devon and Cornwall — — — — 3 6 17 — 13 1 
			 Dorset — — — — — 2 6 — 6 — 
			 Durham — — — — 1 3 19 — 16 — 
			 Essex — — — 1 — 4 44 1 41 2 
			 Gloucestershire — — 1 — — 2 8 — 7 — 
			 Greater Manchester 1 — 3 — 16 14 68 — 72 2 
			 Hampshire — — — — 5 4 42 2 30 2 
			 Hertfordshire — — — — — 2 20 — 17 — 
			 Humberside — — — 3 2 2 13 1 22 — 
			 Kent — — — — — — 1 — 26 — 
			 Lancashire — — — — 2 2 35 4 32 2 
			 Leicestershire — — — — — 3 17 1 21 — 
			 Lincolnshire — — — — 2 — 6 1 14 — 
			 London, City of — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Merseyside — — — 3 5 7 29 1 39 — 
			 Metropolitan police — — 5 4 7 48 234 5 304 3 
			 Norfolk — — — — — — 9 — 11 — 
			 Northampton — — — — — 1 13 — 8 — 
			 Northumbria — — — — 1 — — — 4 — 
			 North Yorkshire — — 2 — 4 5 54 3 57 4 
			 Nottinghamshire — — — 1 4 4 20 — 27 — 
			 South Yorkshire 1 — 1 — 6 4 17 1 27 — 
			 Staffordshire — — 1 — — 3 10 1 23 1 
			 Suffolk — — — — 1 3 13 — 4 — 
			 Surrey 2 — — — — 1 10 — 9 — 
			 Sussex — — — 1 2 2 23 — 24 — 
			 Thames Valley — — — — — 2 17 1 13 — 
			 Warwickshire — — — — 1 — 4 1 8 — 
			 West Mercia — — — — 2 2 3 — 11 — 
			 West Midlands — 1 1 4 4 5 66 1 73 — 
			 West Yorkshire 2 — 2 1 3 10 44 — 55 — 
			 Wiltshire — — — — — 2 10 — 7 — 
			 Dyfed Powys — — — — — 1 3 — 6 — 
			 Gwent 1 — — — 1 1 10 1 16 — 
			 North Wales — — — — — 3 7 — 13 — 
			 South Wales — — — — 6 3 15 — 34 — 
			 England and Wales 7 1 17 19 81 171 992 27 1,181 18

DNA Database

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 281W, on the National DNA Database, 
	(1)  if he will break down by country the number of requests made;
	(2)  how many of the requests were complied with;
	(3)  on what basis such information is provided; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  for what reasons such requests have been  (a) made and  (b) granted; and what criteria are used to decide whether to grant such a request.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 28 June 2006
	The majority of requests for the exchange of DNA information between the United Kingdom and other countries are routed through the United Kingdom National Central Bureau for Interpol (UK NCB) based at the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Other channels may include bi-lateral direct liaison between law enforcement authorities: and formal mutual legal assistance channels. Exchanges of DNA information via these channels will almost always be a response to the needs of a specific criminal investigation.
	Requests from international law enforcement agencies for a search of the National DNA Database are only processed where it is clear that the request is in the interest of prevention and detection of crime, national security or the data subject. They are also subject to a risk assessment, taking into account the justification for and proportionality of disclosure of the information in line with human rights. If cleared for processing, a one-off speculative search of the Database is made by the Custodian and information fed back to UK NCB.
	The UK NCB is not currently able to provide data on the number of requests received from other countries but only on the number of requests processed and dealt with by the Database Custodian. As indicated in the answer of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 281W, 519 search requests have been dealt with by the Database Custodian since 2004 and responses provided back to UK NCB in each case (this includes searches of the UK DNA Database at the request of other countries as well as preparing profiles in order for UK law enforcement agencies to request searches overseas).
	Data on the countries to which DNA profiles have been sent and on the number of profiles sent to other countries in pursuit of specific criminal investigations could only be provided at disproportionate cost as the majority of the data are not currently held electronically. This information will be available later this year following the introduction of a new data collection system (this will not apply to retrospective data). However, it is estimated that international DNA searches are requested on two to three occasions each week (this includes requests received from abroad and requests made by the UK for searches in other countries).
	Data are not collected on the number of exchanges of DNA information which occur through direct liaison between law enforcement authorities or formal mutual legal assistance channels.

DNA Database

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have had their DNA records removed from the police DNA database in each year since 2000.

Joan Ryan: The number of profiles relating to individuals removed from the National DNA Database in each year since 2000 is:
	
		
			   Number of profiles relating to individuals removed 
			 2000 66,149 
			 2001 44,664 
			 2002 14,589 
			 2003 24,173 
			 2004 19,194 
			 2005 21,661 
			 2006 (To 1 July) 8,868

Drugs

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the take-out quantities of class A drugs for the Concerted Inter-Agency Drug Action Group were in each year since collection began.

Vernon Coaker: CIDA agencies have been involved in the seizure of the following quantities of class A drugs:
	
		
			   Cocaine (kg)  Heroin (kg)  Ecstasy (tablets) 
			 2000-01 13,775 4,513 8,191,908 
			 2001-02 10,931 3,379 8,682,768 
			 2002-03 9,293 3,074 5,208,591 
			 2003-04 23,000 2,828 9,968,098 
			 2004-05 10,625 3,067 10,533,778

Foreign Criminal Releases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of police hours taken to trace foreign criminals released without consideration for deportation since the issue was identified.

John Reid: The level of detail requested by the hon. Gentleman is not required under the annual data return that must be submitted to the Department by police forces in England and Wales. We would not wish to impose additional burdens on police forces by asking them to carry out such ad hoc surveys. The police continue to play a key role in working with all other relevant agencies to pursue those cases where foreign national prisoners were released without due consideration.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place a copy of the report produced by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, entitled 'Mind the (level 2) gap', in the Library.

Tony McNulty: This is a confidential report to Ministers only and, therefore, a copy will not be placed in the Library.

Human Trafficking

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a nationwide adoption of standardised protocols aimed at increasing human trafficking victims identification and protection in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The question of a national referral mechanism is one which is under consideration as part of the current discussions as a result of the responses received to our consultation paper "Tackling Human Trafficking". We recognise that prompt and accurate identification of victims of trafficking is essential to the provision of appropriate care and support services to the victims of human trafficking.
	To this end we have both developed, in consultation with non-government organisations, a best practice toolkit for front line immigration and police officers and other professionals who may come into contact with potential victims, and continue to work in partnership with the voluntary and community sector to establish a framework of support for victims who have been trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
	Additionally we launched on 21 June, the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC). The establishment of UKHTC came as a result of the success of operation Pentameter, a national police led multi-agency operation which aimed to tackle trafficking for sexual exploitation and which led to 234 people being arrested. Of these 132 people have been charged, to date, with offences connected to trafficking.
	Following on from the success of Operation Pentameter the UKHTC will support the overarching aim of moving the United Kingdom to a leading position in relation to the prevention and investigation of trafficking in human beings. It will also become a central point for the development of police expertise and operational co-ordination.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is available for policemen to help them identify and detect victims of trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: We have developed an online people trafficking tool-kit to enable front line police among other relevant personnel to work appropriately and effectively with victims of trafficking.
	Improvements in training for police in the identification and detection of victims of trafficking is currently under consideration as part of the discussions on the UK Action Plan against trafficking which is due to be published later in the year.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that each police force has an officer  (a) trained and  (b) designated to deal with trafficked children and women.

Vernon Coaker: The proposal that each force should have a trained and designated officer is one that is currently under consideration for inclusion in the UK Action Plan which is due to be published later in the year.
	We recognise that there is a need for a more corporate response within the police service to tackling human trafficking. To this end we recently announced the establishment of the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) which will become operational from 2 October 2006. It will be overseen by an ACPO/multi-agency group which will include representatives from non-governmental organisations.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a substantive answer to question 85722, tabled on 11 July 2006 for answer on 14 July 2006, on Operation Pentameter; and if he will provide before the summer adjournment a substantive answer to that part of question 85722 which relates to the country of origin of trafficked minors.

Vernon Coaker: From the 12 minors rescued from Operation Pentameter three minors were repatriated to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The other minors originated from Burundi, Cameroon, Sudan, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Kenya. The minors will receive support from social services for as long as is necessary.

Identity Register

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timetable is for the procurement of the National Identity Register by the Identity and Passport Service; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Government are committed to the rapid introduction of identity cards and the establishment of the National Identity Register but, as we have always made clear, this is an incremental process and will be implemented in a phased way. Royal Assent to the Identity Cards Act 2006 and creation of the Identity and Passport Service have enabled the Government to begin firming up plans for the delivery of the identity cards scheme including plans for procurement of the National Identity Register.
	We have actively engaged the industry in dialogue about our procurement approach/options and industry feedback has been valuable in informing our emerging thinking. We will be publishing the National Identity Scheme Procurement Strategy Market Soundings Feedback Report in August 2006 and will update the market further as our plans develop.

Parliament (Protests)

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for protesting within a mile of Parliament since 1 August 2005.

John Reid: The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has informed me that there have been 37 arrests for taking part in or organising an unauthorised demonstration in the designated area since 1 August 2005 and four arrests for failing to comply with conditions imposed by the Commissioner on a demonstration.

Passports

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 536-7W on passports, what estimate his Department has made of the number of  (a) lost,  (b) stolen and  (c) unavailable passports in circulation in the UK in the last year for which figures are available.

Joan Ryan: IPS processed the following reports of  (a) loss,  (b) theft and  (c) other, of a passport for the calendar year of 2005:
	
		
			  2005 
			   Number 
			 Lost 230,011 
			 Stolen 45,709 
			 Other(1) 11,268 
		
	
	Current figures for 2006:
	
		
			  2006 
			   Number 
			 Lost 118,157 
			 Stolen 19,108 
			 Other(1) 5,707 
			 Total 142,972 
			 (1) "Other" includes passports reported as damaged or destroyed.

Prisons

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) suicides and  (b) incidents of non-fatal self-harm have occurred in (i) adult prisons, (ii) young offender institutions and (iii) juvenile custody units in England and Wales in each of the last nine years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested with respect to apparent self-inflicted deaths is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			  Establishment type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Prison(1) 55 75 73 71 65 90 90 92 69 
			 Young Offender Institution (YOI) 9 7 11 9 7 5 3 3 9 
			 Juvenile custody(2) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 (1) 'Prison' includes category B locals, male and female closed establishments, category C prisons, dispersal prisons, mixed locals, open prisons, semi-open prisons, remand centres and holding centres. (2 )Juvenile custody includes juvenile prisons, Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children's Homes (SCHs).  Note:  The table above shows the number of apparent self-inflicted deaths. This includes all deaths where it appears the individual acted specifically to take their own life, not only those that received a suicide or open verdict at inquest. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number 
			  Prison type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Prison 1265 2719 3038 4182 6859 8912 14534 17346 19390 
			 YOI 141 276 361 441 441 667 1118 1250 1434 
			 Juvenile custody(1) 14 19 56 215 269 275 446 587 622 
			 (1 )Juvenile custody units run by the Prison Service use a wide definition of self-harm that includes all acts of self-injury, however serious (n.b. the same definition applies to the prison and YOI data). The data included from STCs and SCHs is mainly based on a definition of self-harm that includes self-harm incidents which represent significant events such that they are reportable under the Children's Homes Regulations. Two STCs and two SCHs, however, use a definition of self-harm similar to the Prison Service. Some STCs and SCHs were unable to provide this data for the earlier period covered by this Question because either the information was not collected, or only the total number of recorded incidents was collected (i.e. not only self-harm incidents; in which case it represented disproportionate cost to examine each incident report). In the future the YJB will provide clear definitions and recording requirements with respect to self-harm.  Note:  A new form specifically for reporting self-harm (the F213SH) was introduced in Prison Service establishments in December 2002 (i.e. in prisons, YOIs and juvenile prisons). The rise in reported self-harm from 2003 may therefore partly reflect improved reporting rather than an actual increase in self-harm incidents. Prior to December 2002. Self-harm was reported using the general incident reporting form (the F213), which resulted in significant under-reporting. The data from 2003 onwards cannot therefore be directly compared to earlier years.

Sentencing

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what average length of custodial sentence was  (a) handed out in each of the last nine years and  (b) served by offenders released in each of the last nine years;
	(2)  what average length of custodial sentence was  (a) handed out for and  (b) served by those offenders convicted of (i) rape, (ii) murder, (iii) robbery, (iv) manslaughter, (v) sexual assault and (vi) non-fatal criminal assault with knives and bladed instruments who have been released in each of the last nine years;
	(3)  what average length of custodial sentence was  (a) handed out and  (b) served by those convicted of (i) possession with intent to supply Class (A) A, (B) B and (C) C drugs and (ii) simple possession of each category of drugs who were released in each of the last nine years;
	(4)  what average length of custodial sentence was  (a) handed out and  (b) served by those convicted of (i) grievous bodily harm with intent, (ii) grievous bodily harm, (iii) actual bodily harm and (iv) assault who were released in each of the last nine years.

Vernon Coaker: The tables set out the available information requested on average custodial sentence length imposed in England and Wales for the years 1996 to 2004, the latest year for which figures are currently available.
	Figures on non-fatal criminal assault with knives and bladed instruments are not available centrally as details of the nature of the offence are not collected on the Home Office Court Proceedings database.
	Average time served for life sentenced prisoners (mandatory and other lifers) released from prison on life licence between 1994 and 2004 is published in table 10.5 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004.
	Information on the average time served and average sentence length of prisoners discharged from determinate sentences in 2004 is published in tables 10.1 and 10.2 of Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004. Statistics for the years 1997 to 2002 are given in tables 10.1 and 10.2 Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003, and tables 3.13 and 4.11 of Prison Statistics England and Wales 1997 to 2002. The data, which are obtained from the prison IT system, are not shown separately for specific offences as accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.
	Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile such figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
	We have started a programme of work in the Home Office looking at the quality of existing data on court sentencing and prisoners and how this might be improved.
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length in months( 1)  for possession and possession with intent to supply of Class A, Class B and Class C drugs, 1996-2004 
			   Possession  Possession with intent to supply 
			   Class A  Class B  Class C  Class A  Class B  Class C 
			 1996 8.0 5.2 2.8 34.9 13.3 10.1 
			 1997 6.5 4.4 2.6 35.7 13.2 8 
			 1998 5.9 4.2 1.6 34.6 12.8 7.4 
			 1999 5.2 3.1 3.6 35.9 12.9 6.2 
			 2000 5.3 3.2 2.7 34.5 12.7 12.1 
			 2001 5.2 3.5 4.6 34.2 15.2 11 
			 2002 5.2 3.4 2.5 35.4 15.1 10.1 
			 2003 6.2 4.0 1.2 37.6 13.6 17.7 
			 2004 7.3 3.7 2.8 39.8 15.9 11.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length in months for grievous bodily harm with intent, grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm and assault, 1996-2004 
			   Grievous bodily harm with intent  Grievous bodily harm without intent  Actual bodily harm  Assault( 2) 
			 1996 45.8 15.6 7.8 2.6 
			 1997 44.1 15.3 7.8 2.6 
			 1998 43.9 15.1 7.5 2.6 
			 1999 45.8 15.5 7.8 2.6 
			 2000 45.0 15.6 8.0 2.7 
			 2001 48.0 16.0 8.5 2.8 
			 2002 46.5 17.0 9.2 2.8 
			 2003 50.3 17.6 9.2 2.8 
			 2004 48.6 17.7 9.6 2.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length in months( 1)  for rape, murder, robbery, manslaughter( 3)  and sexual assault( 4)  1996-2004 
			   Rape  Murder  Robbery  Manslaughter  Sexual assault 
			 1996 77.8 (5)— 38.1 60.9 24.0 
			 1997 78.7 (5)— 39.1 62.5 24.5 
			 1998 79.8 (5)— 35.3 58.0 24.8 
			 1999 79.8 (5)— 35.7 59.2 24.1 
			 200C 83.2 (5)— 36.1 60.2 24.6 
			 2001 81.1 (5)— 35.4 58.9 25.4 
			 2002 83.7 (5)— 38.9 65.4 26.3 
			 2003 86.4 (5)— 39.3 62.8 26.3 
			 2004 84.4 (5)— 38.4 64.5 27.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Average custodial sentence length in months, all offences 1996-2004 
			   All offences 
			 1996 12.8 
			 1997 12.7 
			 1998 11.8 
			 1999 11.5 
			 2000 11.4 
			 2001 11.8 
			 2002 12.6 
			 2003 12.6 
			 2004 12.9 
			 (1) Excluding life sentences (2) Common assault and assault on a police officer (3) Common Law Manslaughter and Manslaughter due to diminished responsibility (4) Indecent assault on males and females (5) Murder carries a mandatory life sentence  Source:  RDS NOMS 11 July 2006

TREASURY

Aquaculture Projects (Orkney and Shetland)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many aquaculture projects pay rent to the Crown Estate in Orkney and Shetland; and what total annual income has been generated from such rents in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The Crown Estate has issued 28 aquaculture leases for Orkney and 187 aquaculture leases for Shetland. Total annual income figure generated from fish farming over the past three years is as follows:
	
		
			  Fish farming 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Orkney  Shetland  Total 
			 2003-04 50,900 598,000 648,900 
			 2004-05 111,000 885,100 996,100 
			 2005-06 (1)132,000 518,000 650,000 
			 (1) The Orkney fish farming rental income for 2005-06 includes a post-audit payment of £34,000 in settlement of outstanding rent from production of fish in 2003.

Carers (Barnsley)

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many carers there are in  (a) Barnsley East and Mexborough,  (b) Barnsley and  (c) Doncaster.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 July 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many carers there are in (a) Barnsley East and Mexborough (b) Barnsley and (c) Doncaster (86382).
	The table below shows the number of people in (a) Barnsley East and Mexborough parliamentary constituency (b) Barnsley Local Authority District and (c) Doncaster Local Authority District on Census day (29 April 2001) who were providing unpaid care. The data for Barnsley East and Mexborough has been taken from table KS08 in the  2001 Census Report for Parliamentary Constituencies. The data for both Barnsley and Doncaster has been taken from table KS08 in  Census 2001 Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales. Both of these publications are available in the House of Commons Library.
	
		
			  Number of people in England and Wales 
			  Area  Number of people  Number of people who provide unpaid care 
			 Barnsley East and Mexborough PC 86,450 10,350 
			 Barnsley LAD 218,063 26,109 
			 Doncaster LAD 286,866 31,944 
			  Source:  Table KS08 2001 Census Report for Parliamentary Constituencies and Table KS08 Census 2001 Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales

Carter Review

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has accepted the recommendations of the review by Lord Carter into HM Revenue Customs' Online Services; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to paragraph 5.81 of this year's economic and fiscal strategy report (HC 968), and the written statement I made on 18 July 2006,  Official Report, column 11WS.

Civil Service Relocation

David Heyes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Civil Service posts have been transferred from London to the Greater Manchester area in the last 12 months; and how many posts are under consideration for such transfer.

Stephen Timms: In the 2005-06 financial year 96 posts were relocated to the Greater Manchester area bringing the total number of posts relocated to this area under the Lyons programme to over 300. Individual departments are responsible for deciding how best to meet their relocation target and full plans for the remaining 12,200 relocations are not yet finalised.

Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Leicester, East of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 761W, on consultants, which Ministers in his Department made use of West Wing Writers in 2005-06; and what the title was of each speech to which they contributed in that year.

John Healey: Research material was provided for Treasury Ministers on international development and global issues including debt relief and G8, G20 and IMF related matters.

Consultants

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Leicester, East of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 761W, on consultants, how much was paid to  (a) West Wing Writers,  (b) Opinion Leader Research and  (c) International Survey Research in each year from 1997-98 to 2004-05.

John Healey: The following sums were paid to these organisations:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 International Survey Research — 56,786.102 2,445.44 
			 Opinion Leader Research Ltd. — — 20,000.00 
			 West Wing Writers 3,500.00 5,500.22 6,250.00 
		
	
	As a result of changes in the accounting system in 2002-03 the cost of identifying details of payments, if any, in the earlier years would be disproportionate.

Crown Estate

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Crown Estate has made of the value of the seabed in each of the last five years.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to page 15 of the Crown Estate annual report 2006 which was laid before Parliament on 13 July 2006.

Customs Officers

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many customs officers have left HM Revenue and Customs on the grounds of ill-health in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The total number of customs officers retired on the grounds of ill health in each calendar year since 1997 are:
	
		
			   Number of ill health retirements 
			 1997 172 
			 1998 164 
			 1999 148 
			 2000 85 
			 2001 67 
			 2002 68 
			 2003 48 
			 2004 45 
			 2005 44 
			 2006 to date 18

FIFA World Cup

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which matches  (a) he and  (b) other Ministers in his Department attended at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany in their Ministerial capacity; at what cost to public funds; and with what contributions from third party organisations.

John Healey: Details of Treasury Ministers' attendance at FIFA World Cup 2006 matches were set out in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's written answer of 20 June to my hon. Friend the Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mark Tami) on 21 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1899W.
	The Chancellor travelled on 20 June to Brussels for a European meeting and then to Cologne where he met trilaterally with the German and Swedish Finance Ministers to discuss the European economy and a joint economic reform initiative.
	As a guest of the German Government, which provided the ticket, the Chancellor also attended the England  vs. Sweden FIFA World Cup 2006 match in Cologne on 20 June.
	The Chancellor travelled by train from London to Brussels (cost of £174.50) and then by train to Cologne (£44.70). He returned by plane from Cologne (£282.30).
	The Chancellor stayed overnight after attending the game and met his own accommodation costs.

Free ATMs

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the free cash machine network is preserved.

Edward Balls: The Government takes seriously the issue of free access to cash, especially for those on low-incomes. According to the latest figures from LINK, there are now more than 33,000 free ATMs in the UK, accounting for 96 per cent. of withdrawals made at ATMs. During the first quarter of 2006, there has been a net increase of over 100 free ATMs across the UK.
	The working group on ATMs, chaired by John McFall MP, is expected to look at the evidence on the location and growth of free and surcharging ATMs, in order to reach a shared analysis on this issue.

Free ATMs

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government will take steps to ensure that clear signage indicating whether ATMs are free or fee charging is well placed for customers to see before they withdraw their cash.

Edward Balls: The Government believes that this is a matter for industry. LINK'S new transparency rules are a good step forward. It is expected that the ATM working group, chaired by John McFall, will consider issues related to the transparency of signage on ATMs.

Free ATMs

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government will press for a commitment from all banks to ensure that they do not sell off any of their free ATM network.

Edward Balls: How banks manage their ATM networks is a commercial matter. The Government welcomes the fact that all the major banks have made a public commitment to their free ATM networks.

Leukaemia/Multiple Myeloma

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the death rate from  (a) leukaemia and  (b) multiple myeloma were in each decade from 1976 to date.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 July 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the death rates from (a) leukaemia and (b) multiple myeloma were in each decade from 1976 to date. (86209)
	Cancer death rates are published on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/CancerTrendsUpdates.pdf

Marine Estate

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the income from the marine estate is paid to his Department; how many  (a) disposals and  (b) acquisitions have been made in the marine estate in each of the last five years; and what the total value is of these transactions.

John Healey: The proportion of the income from The Crown Estate's Marine Estate paid to HM Treasury in 2005-06 was 92.4 per cent.
	 Summary of contribution for the Marine Estate
	Gross contribution (i.e. direct receipts minus direct expenditure) from the marine estate for the last five years:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 34.1 
			 2004-05 33.5 
			 2003-04 32.1 
			 2002-03 31.9 
			 2001-02 31.0 
		
	
	 Summary of marine acquisitions for 2002-06
	Value of acquisitions and disposals including professional fees and stamp duty land tax for the past five years:
	
		
			   Acquisitions  Disposals 
			   Number  £  Number  £ 
			 2002 — — 18 1,537,315 
			 2003 — — 28 610,979 
			 2004 1 -4,000 11 88,082 
			 2005 — — 20 334,816 
			 2006 — — 47 501,248

Markets in Financial Instruments Directive

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the Government voted when the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive was adopted on 21 April 2004 by the European Council.

Edward Balls: On 7 April, the Council adopted, by written procedure, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive. The UK supported the adopted text.

Ministers (Personal Tax)

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ensure that Ministers do not receive special treatment in respect of their personal tax affairs.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC is responsible for handling the personal tax affairs of Ministers and for ensuring that they pay tax in accordance with tax law, as for any other individual.

Nuclear Deterrent

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the next generation of the nuclear deterrent will be  (a) wholly and  (b) partly financed by funding additional to the normal defence budget.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 12 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1842W.

Parliamentary Questions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he will reply to  (a) Question 80066 and  (b) Question 80067 on tax credits tabled on 20 June 2006 by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak;
	(2)  when he will reply to Question number 80066, on tax credits, tabled by the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak on 20 June 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: I answered question 80067 on 18 July 2006,  Official Report, column 364W, and hope to be in a position to answer question 80066 very shortly.

Scottish Salmon Farming (Crown Estate)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Crown Estate has taken to support sustainable salmon farming in Scotland.

John Healey: The Crown Estate has a three year programme of measures to support the Scottish salmon industry with investment of £600,000. The Crown Estate is also supporting the aquaculture industry through its Marine Stewardship Programme with £100,000 annual contributions to the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum over the same period. In addition, the Crown Estate supports some individual research projects.

Smuggling

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to improve coastline surveillance on the South West coast to tackle smuggling of illegal drugs and firearms.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) use risk assessment to deploy intelligence-led, flexible and mobile teams—including the HMRC Cutter fleet—to locations in the South West and throughout the UK where they will have the greatest impact on modern smugglers. HMRC also works in partnership with other agencies, including the UK immigration service and special branch, to provide a co-ordinated response to all frontier threats.

Subject Access Request

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the interim response of Mr. Michael Armstrong of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Data Protection Unit, of 17 May, (reference SAR 2090/06), to the hon. Member's constituent Mr. Gerard Churchhouse's Subject Access Request, when the further documents are expected to be supplied; why further documents already obtained by HMRC have not been supplied to date; when Mr. Churchhouse may inspect the original files on which a decision was made; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The search process is now being urgently completed and the Department will write to Mr. Churchhouse within the next 14 days, together with an apology for the delay.

Tax Credits

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimants were discovered to have given incorrect information  (a) fraudulently and  (b) by error in relation to a tax credit claim in each year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) type of tax credit and (ii) region; and what estimate he has made of the amounts incorrectly paid as a result.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. member to "Child and Working Tax Credits: Error and fraud statistics 2003-04" available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm Reliable estimates at regional level are not available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 25 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1050W, on tax credits, what information is available on the level of tax credit manual payments in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 188-89W. For the estimated value of manual payments made up to and including October 2005, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 29 November 2005,  Official Report, columns 343-44W.
	The estimated value of manual payments (rounded to the nearest 100,000) made from November 2005 to March 2006 inclusive was:
	
		
			   Estimated value of manual payments made (£000) 
			  2005  
			 November 19,500 
			 December 17,000 
			   
			  2006  
			 January 20,100 
			 February 18,700 
			 March 17,100

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants were receiving regular manual payments as at  (a) 31 March and  (b) 31 May; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of tax credits claimants receiving manual payments were around:
	 (a) 17,300
	and
	 (b) 15,000

Tax Credits

Mark Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many tax credit decisions on overpayment have been appealed to  (a) the Regional Director, (b) the Independent Adjudicator and (c) the Ombudsman in (i) Ceredigion, (ii) Wales and (iii) the UK in each of the last five years;
	(2)  in how many tax credit decisions on overpayment in  (a) Ceredigion,  (b) Wales and  (c) the UK the overpayment have been waived in each of the last five years.

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many tax credit decisions on overpayment have been appealed to  (a) the Regional Director,  (b) the Independent Adjudicator and  (c) the Ombudsman in (i) Tamworth, (ii) England and (iii) the UK in each of the last five years;
	(2)  in how many tax credit decisions an overpayment in  (a) Tamworth,  (b) England and  (c) the UK the overpayment has been waived in each year since the scheme began.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax credits claimants have a right of appeal against decisions about their tax credit entitlement but HM Revenue and Custom's (HMRC) code of practice 26 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit' gives the reasons why claimants might be able to dispute an overpayment and how they should do this.
	The Department began recording the intake of disputed overpayment requests in May 2004.
	For the numbers of disputed overpayment requests HMRC's Tax Credit Office received and the number written off for Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a whole, I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 18 July 2006,  Official Report, column 360W.
	The information requested is not available at constituency level, for Wales or at regional level.
	For information about the Independent Adjudicator and the Ombudsman, I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) on 30 January 2006,  Official Report, column 143W.
	The information requested at  (a) and  (b) is not available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  by what date he estimates that Electronic Data Services will have made full payment of the £71.25 million owed in compensation to HM Revenue and Customs for tax credit system problems; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what payments have been made to date to his Department by Electronic Data Services in aggregate settlement of HM Revenue and Customs' claim in respect of tax credit IT; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The terms of the agreement between HMRC and EDS to settle HMRC's claim for compensation are commercially sensitive and therefore confidential. Details were provided to the Public Accounts Committee in a closed session.

Tax Credits

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the net effect on households in  (a) Houghton and Washington East constituency and  (b) Sunderland city council area of the introduction of tax credits since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Tax Credits

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the administration of tax credits in North Yorkshire.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by region, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04 Geographical Analysis" and the "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05 Geographical Analysis". These publications and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by region with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.

Tax Credits

David Heyes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people in  (a) the UK and  (b) Ashton-under-Lyne have been overpaid working tax credits since their introduction;
	(2)  how many overpayments of  (a) working and  (b) child tax credit have been made to claimants in Ashton-under-Lyne since the credits were introduced; what the value of those overpayments was; how many of the overpayments have not been recovered; and what the value was of unrecovered overpayments.

Dawn Primarolo: For numbers of tax credit overpayments I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 16 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1421W.
	We do not produce statistics separately for child and working tax credits.
	In answer to the number of overpayments to claimants from Ashton-under-Lyne that have not been recovered, and their value, the information is not available in the format requested.

Tax Credits

David Heyes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures his Department has taken to reduce poverty in Ashton-under-Lyne since 1997.

Edward Balls: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, tackled poverty and promoted economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macroeconomic stability
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a national minimum wage and the working tax credit
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Across the UK, these measures have helped lift more than a million people out of poverty since 1997. Tax credits are benefiting more than 550,000 families in the North West, and in Ashton-under-Lyne claimant unemployment has fallen by 42 per cent. youth unemployment has fallen by 68 per cent. and long-term unemployment has fallen by 88 per cent.

Tax Credits

David Heyes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many payments have been made in  (a) the UK and  (b) Ashton-under-Lyne under HM Customs and Revenue's code of practice for (i) causing worry and distress to claimants, (ii) delay in answering queries and (iii) costs incurred by the claimant in making contact in each year since tax credits were introduced; and what the annual cost was of payments in each category in each area.

Dawn Primarolo: The circumstances in which the former Inland Revenue and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department's Code of Practice 1 'Putting things right' which is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop1.pdf. The Department will pay compensation for reasonable costs incurred as a direct result of their mistakes or delays and to recognise worry and distress caused by those mistakes and delays.
	Information about the number of payments made under each category is not available.
	For the total number of payments made in 2003-04 and their value I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Hamilton, South (Mr. Tynan) on 20 July 2004,  Official Report, columns 191-92W.
	For the total number of payments made in 2004-05 and their value I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 4 July, 2005,  Official Report, columns 95-96W
	In 2005-06 around 15,000 compensation payments were made with a value of around £1.1 million.
	Information is not available at constituency level.

World Bank/IMF

Tom Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the salaries are of  (a) the President of the World Bank and  (b) the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The total annual remuneration of both the president of the World Bank and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund was $443,760 (£242,780)(1) in July 2004. The latest figures will be available in the 2006 annual reports of the World Bank and the IMF respectively.
	(1) Dollar-Sterling spot market rate at close 18 July 2006

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Postal Voting

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many postal votes were issued by Tamworth borough council for the local elections in May; and what percentage were returned as valid votes.

Bridget Prentice: The total number of postal votes issued by the returning officer for Tamworth borough council local elections on 4 May 2006 was 5,323.
	The percentage returned as valid postal votes was 66 per cent. (3,493).

Royal Commissions

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what royal commissions there are; how many there were in  (a) 1976,  (b) 1986,  (c) 1996 and  (d) 2000; and what the expected duration of each existing commission is.

Vera Baird: There are currently no ad hoc royal commissions. In 1976, there were four. For the years 1986, 1996 and 2000, there were no ad hoc royal commissions. The average duration of an ad hoc royal commission is between two and four years. There are also a number of standing royal commissions, such as that on environmental pollution.

Royal Commissions

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many members there are on each royal commission; how many members on each are paid; and what the  (a) total and  (b) average remuneration is.

Vera Baird: There are currently no ad hoc royal commissions. Membership of a royal commission is set by Government and dependant on the subject matter. The cost of an ad hoc royal commission is usually published in its report. This includes payments to members, expenses paid to witnesses and the cost of printing and publishing the report and evidence.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the position of women in Afghan politics, with particular reference to appointments to the Afghan Cabinet and Supreme Court.

Kim Howells: Women are playing an increasingly important role in Afghan politics. Having been excluded from society by the Taliban, some 68 women (27 per cent. of the total number of MPs) were elected to the Lower House in September 2005, and 19 (19 per cent.) sit in the Upper House, 17 of them nominated to their seats by President Karzai. In March 2005, President Karzai appointed the first female Governor, Habiba Sorabi, to Bamiyan Province. He has also appointed a woman to be the head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.
	President Karzai's previous Cabinet contained two women. The previous Supreme Court contained no female judges. The appointment processes for the new Cabinet and Supreme Court are not yet completed, but there are no women among the appointments so far confirmed.

Afghanistan

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to her Pakistani counterpart regarding cross-border terrorist activities in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: We take the issue of cross-border activities by terrorists, and cross-border co-operation between the authorities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, extremely seriously. This is discussed frequently with the Pakistani authorities by representatives of the Government. The issue was raised by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister during his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on 6 March and I followed up with Prime Minister Aziz on 7 March.

Anti-terrorism Capacity Building

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance programmes the Department has in place to support anti-terrorism capacity building in other countries; what funds are allocated to this task; and in which countries the programmes are located.

Kim Howells: Through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Counter Terrorism (CT) Programme of the Global Opportunities Fund (GOF), the Department directly supports the Government's Counter Terrorism strategy as outlined in the Command Paper presented to the House on 10 July 2006. The aim of the strategy is to reduce the risk from international terrorism so that people can go about their daily lives freely and with confidence. The GOF CT programme focuses activity under four principal strands: prevent, pursue, protect and prepare.
	Funding for financial year 2005-06 was £7.7 million and this financial year is £8.6 million. Since our programme contains classified elements, including the list of our priority assistance recipients, we are unable to give full information on all our assistance programmes. However, our work is focused in the following regions: the Middle East and North Africa; the East and Horn of Africa; South-East Asia and South Asia.
	Typical projects include:
	"operational CT assistance" primarily delivered bilaterally by UK counter terrorism experts in Government, the police and military; these are focused in areas such as CT law enforcement, forensic training, CT crisis management, aviation and maritime security training, hostage and crisis negotiation, VIP protection and bomb disposal;
	"UN Security Council Resolution 1373 CT assistance" in support of the work of the UN CT Committee; assistance programmes are delivered to raise standards of CT capacity in the areas of CT legislation, combating the financing of terrorism, charity regulation, border control and counter proliferation.

EU Commission Budget

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is her Department's policy to support proposals from the Finnish EU presidency to reduce the EU Commission budget by €56 million over the next seven year budget period.

Geoff Hoon: The Government support the Council Draft EC Budget for 2007 established under the Finnish presidency, which aims to limit the growth of Commission administrative spending to 2.46 per cent. (€71 million), rather than the 5.08 per cent. (€158 million) proposed. This is in line with our belief that it is important to set EU institutions' administration budgets at a level which properly reflects the scope for economies of scale from enlargement and efficiency savings from investment in IT and buildings.

Iraq

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding has been allocated to the Iraqi Women's Ministry by the UK Government.

Kim Howells: The Government do not allocate funding to Iraqi Government Ministries. We do maintain a regular dialogue with the Iraqi Women's Ministry and other Iraqi authorities about areas in which we can assist in the development of women's role in Iraqi society. For example, we have met the cost of visits by key Iraqi women, including Council of Representatives members, to the United Kingdom.

Iraq

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Iraqi Prime Minister on the budget for the Iraqi Women's Ministry.

Kim Howells: We have not discussed the budget for the Iraqi Women's Ministry with the Iraqi Prime Minister. We do, however, maintain a dialogue with the Ministry about areas in which we can help them raise the awareness of the role of women in Iraqi society.

Kifle Tigneh Abate

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her answer of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 687W, on Kifle Tigneh Abate, whether she has made further representations since 15 May; and when she expects to receive a report from Michael Ellman.

Kim Howells: holding answer 18 July 2006
	We continue to make representations to the Government of Ethiopia about the trial of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leadership, including Kifle Abate, at every suitable opportunity. Most recently, officials from our embassy in Addis Ababa made representations to the Ministry of Justice about the ongoing trial of the CUD leadership on 12 July 2006.
	Michael Ellman has not given any indication of when he will complete his report or when we would receive a copy.

Libya

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance she is giving to British oil companies wishing to secure contracts in Libya.

Kim Howells: Where oil companies have sought our assistance to secure contracts in Libya we have provided it and will continue to do so. Our embassy in Tripoli has for example, provided local advice and assistance with visiting delegations. Where appropriate, Ministers have and will lobby in support. United Kingdom Trade and Investment also provides a range of services to British companies seeking to export to Libya.

Non-proliferation (Norwegian Initiative)

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress in taking forward the aims of the Norwegian seven country initiative on non-proliferation; and in what form minutes or other records of the meetings of initiative members are made publicly available.

Kim Howells: The UK continues to be engaged with this initiative and to further the seven-country agenda in accordance with the principles outlined in the July 2005 Ministerial Declaration made in New York.
	There is only one official record, of a 9 June meeting held in the Norwegian embassy in London. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House. I will also arrange for a copy to be sent to my hon. Friend.

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support her Department has given to Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to attend functions funded by the Government; what assessment she has made of Sheikh Al-Qaradawi's views on  (a) the use of force against UK forces in Iraq and  (b) the use of suicide attacks elsewhere in the Middle East; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) facilitated and helped fund a "Muslims of Europe Conference" in Istanbul on 1-2 July which was organised and led by a steering group of European Muslim scholars and civil society representatives. The steering group set the agenda and chose the participants. A wide variety of international Muslim scholars attended, including Sheikh Al-Qaradawi. As with all other participants, the FCO paid for travel and accommodation costs.
	Sheikh Al-Qaradawi has expressed views on the use of violence in the Middle East with which we certainly do not agree. Unless all leaders in society deliver a clear renunciation of violence as the solution to the problems in the Middle East, and a commitment to political processes to resolve conflicts, the cycle of hate will only continue. The FCO is working to bring influential leaders together to encourage the debate on the unacceptability of violence. The culminating Declaration of the Muslims of Europe Conference, which was agreed by all its participants, contained a strong renunciation of violence and terrorism. The full text is available on the following website: www.muslimsofeurope.com/topkapi.php.

PRIME MINISTER

Iraq

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Prime Minister on which occasions he has  (a) met the bereaved families of British soldiers killed in Iraq and  (b) visited British soldiers wounded in Iraq in hospital.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) on 27 February 2006, O fficial Report, column 36W.

Ministerial Meetings

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with Sir Ghulam Noon concerning matters connected with  (a) party funding and  (b) the award of honours;
	(2)  what communications he has had with  (a) Dr. Chai Patel and  (b) Mr. Barry Townsley since his recommendation that they should be elevated to the peerage was rejected.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones) on 25 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1982W.

Missile Defence

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the US Administration on missile defence in each of the last three years.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 4 July 2006,  Official Report, column 961W.

Premiership Anniversary

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what events are planned to mark the tenth anniversary of his premiership; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 17 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2581W.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Deputy Prime Minister

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Government Car Service has spent on providing a car and a driver to the Deputy Prime Minister in each year since 1997-98.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1329W given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles).

Information Commissioner

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans the Cabinet Office has to appeal Information Commissioner ruling FS50086128.

Hilary Armstrong: The Information Commissioner has recently issued a decision in relation to Freedom of Information requests for this information. A copy of the Information Commissioner's decision notice and the Cabinet Office's disclosure in response to the decision is available on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/foi/pdf/murdoch.pdf and in the Library for the reference of Members.

Misc 33 Committee

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the  (a) purposes and  (b) objectives are of the Misc 33 Committee.

Hilary Armstrong: The purpose of the Ministerial Committee on the Post Office Network (MISC33) is to allow collective consideration of, and decisions on, issues relating to the future of the Post Office network.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Casinos

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which casinos he has visited in  (a) the UK,  (b) South Africa,  (c) the USA  (d) the Far East and  (e) Australia in an official capacity since January 2003; and what the (i) date and (ii) time was of each visit.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Eric Pickles) by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Jim Fitzpatrick) on 8 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1243W.

Consultants

Paul Beresford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many consultants are working for  (a) him and  (b) his office; and what the cost of the consultants has been since May 2006.

John Prescott: holding answer 13 July 2006
	Staffing and expenditure will be accounted for in the Department's annual report and accounts in the usual way.

Departmental Budget

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the total cost has been of providing new stationery for his private office since 5 May 2006;
	(2)  what the total cost of expenses for his private office was in each month since May 2006.

John Prescott: holding answer 13 July 2006
	Expenditure will be accounted for in the Department's annual report and accounts, in the usual way as with other Government Departments.

Departmental Budget

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what has been the total cost has been of refurbishments to  (a) his office and  (b) the offices of his members of staff since 5 May.

John Prescott: holding answer 13 July 2006
	There has been no refurbishment.

Ministerial Anniversary

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 24 May 2006, Official Report, columns 1840-41W, to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, on the Ministerial Anniversary, what public funding has been allocated to events commemorating his 10 year anniversary as Deputy Prime Minister; when the nature of these events will be announced; and if he will make a statement.

John Prescott: None.

Ministerial Travel

Paul Beresford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he will have the use of the proposed Government official aeroplane in fulfilling his official duties.

John Prescott: holding answer 13 July 2006
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidance "Travel by Ministers".

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will direct the Territorial Army to provide the information requested by the Child Support Agency relating to  (a) earnings from regular army duties and  (b) reimbursements from Territorial Army activity for Sergeant Gould, currently stationed in the Gulf; and what the reasons have been for the time taken in dealing with this matter by the Territorial Army.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 10 July 2006
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 July 2006:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will direct the Territorial Army to provide the information requested by the Child Support Agency relating to (a) earnings from regular army duties and (b) reimbursements from Territorial Army activity for Sergeant Gould currently stationed in the Gulf; and what the reasons have been for the time taken in dealing with this matter by the Territorial Army.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Child Support

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what charge Liberata levies for the making of an emergency payment to a parent with care at the request of the Child Support Agency.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 July 2006:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what charge Liberata levies for the making of an emergency payment to a parent with care at the request of the Child Support Agency.
	The contract with Liberata is part of a wider DWP contract. The charge for making an emergency payment is commercially sensitive and cannot be divulged.
	I am sorry I am unable to be more helpful.

Child Support

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many absent parents under the Child Support Scheme have left the country to work abroad in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not currently available.

Mesothelioma

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has any plans to extend  (a) industrial injuries disablement benefit and  (b) other relevant benefits to those who suffer from mesothelioma due to exposure to fibres brought home on the clothes of spouses, or other family members, exposed to asbestos at their workplace.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 10 July 2006
	The Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Scheme makes payments to people who have become disabled as a result of an accident at work or as a result of contracting an industrial disease in the workplace.
	Spouses or other family members with mesothelioma can claim other state benefits such as incapacity benefit and disability living allowance or attendance allowance and can also seek redress through civil action in the courts.
	The industrial injuries disablement benefit scheme is under review and we will publish a discussion document later this year, on which all interested parties, can comment.

New Deal Services

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what criteria are used in  (a) assessing bids and  (b) letting contracts to providers of New Deal services;
	(2)  what the total value was of New Deal services from contracts let in Gwent by Jobcentre Plus in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005;
	(3)  how many contracts to provide New Deal services were awarded to new providers in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005;
	(4)  what the total value is of contracts in Wales to providers of New Deal services in the  (a) charitable,  (b) public and  (c) private sectors.

Jim Murphy: The criteria for the award of New Deal contracts in 2006 included performance, delivery, organisation, capacity, and quality of management, staff, services, premises and facilities. These criteria were published as part of the Jobcentre Plus advice to potential contractors. Contracts were let through a fair and open competitive tendering process and were awarded to those organisations whose bids were judged best able to satisfy those criteria.
	Information on the value of New Deal services contracts let in Gwent is not available. The available information is that in 2005 a total of £4,442,143 was paid to providers of New Deal services in the Eastern area of Jobcentre Plus' South Wales Valleys District. Information for earlier years is not available.
	No new contracts for New Deal services were awarded during 2003, 2004 or 2005.
	The total value of contracts in Wales for the New Deals, Programme Centres, and Basic Skills assessments for the financial year 2005-06 is £12,382,703, of this £4,152,480 is in the charitable sector, £5,171,324 in the public sector, and £3,058,899 in the private sector.

Older People (Skills Training)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what  (a) grants and  (b) training schemes are available through his Department (i) for people over 55 years and (ii) for people in retirement to learn new job skills;
	(2)  what paid apprenticeship programmes are available through his Department  (a) for people over 55 years and  (b) for people in retirement;
	(3)  what assistance is available through his Department to people over 55 years who have  (a) been made redundant and  (b) been redundant for more than one year to assist them to find alternative employment;
	(4)  how many people in the UK over 50 years are economically inactive; and what measures he has put in place to tackle this;
	(5)  what plans he has to make  (a) grants and  (b) training schemes available for people (i) over 55 years and (ii) in retirement to learn new job skills;
	(6)  if he will take steps to make apprenticeship programmes available through his Department for people  (a) aged over 55 years and  (b) in retirement to receive on the job training.

Jim Murphy: There are now more people in work in the United Kingdom (UK) than ever before, up 130,000 in the last quarter and by 272,000 in the year to June 2006. At 28.94 million this is just over 2.5 million higher than 1997. There are fewer people out of work than in the last quarter and economic inactivity has fallen sharply, down by 121,000. There are currently 2,477,000 people between 50 and state retirement age who are recorded as economically inactive in the UK. When people over state pension age are included, this figure rises to 12,176,000.
	Between 1979 and the mid 1990s, the number of people on incapacity benefits in Great Britain (GB) trebled. Growth in the caseload has since slowed significantly, and in November 2005, there were 2.71 million people claiming incapacity benefits, a fall of 61,000 over the year. Although 46 per cent. of those claiming incapacity benefits are aged between 50 and state pension age, between 2000 and 2005 the number of people in this age group fell by 52,000. This has contributed to the overall reduction in the incapacity benefits caseload.
	Like other age groups, people aged 50 and over will be able to benefit from the rollout of the successful "Pathways to Work" service across Great Britain which will be completed by 2008. Pathways offers new incapacity benefits customers early support from skilled personal advisers and direct access to a "Choices Package" of employment programmes and clear financial incentives to make work pay. Any incapacity benefits customer will be able to access the support and help available on a voluntary basis.
	Also like all other customers, eligible people aged 50 and over, including those above state pension age, can benefit from the range of services provided by Jobcentre Plus, including access to jobs and help and support to find work. This can include programmes such as new deal 25 plus (ND25 plus) which is mandatory for younger participants but can be accessed on a voluntary basis by people above state pension age who are in receipt of pension credit.
	Additional help is provided to older people who do not find work quickly. new deal 50 plus is a voluntary programme for people who have been in receipt of benefits, including pension credit, for at least six months. It provides people in GB with advice and guidance from personal advisers, and access to in-work financial help through the 50 plus element of the working tax credit. Since April 2000, the programme has been successful in helping more than 150,000 older workers into employment. Once in work, new deal 50 plus customers can claim a training grant of up to £1,500 for training of which up to £300 can be used for life-long learning.
	People aged 50 and over can also be eligible for help from ND 25 plus. People who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for 18 months, who have not previously participated on ND 25 plus, are required to attend the gateway stage of the ND 25 plus programme. This is a period of up to four months of intensive job search and specialist help and support to improve job prospects. This is followed by the intensive activity period (IAP) which is currently voluntary for people aged 50 and over. The IAP provides further support and pre-work training to help people return to work.
	Since April 2004, we have been piloting mandatory participation in the ND 25 plus IAP for people aged 50-59 who have been claiming JSA for 18 months. The pilot has offered people in this age group more extensive help back to work. Interim results are positive and, as announced in our Welfare Reform Green Paper, we intend to commence a phased national rollout.
	In terms of people facing redundancy, we work with employer and partner organisations, to provide access to a range of services aimed at helping people find alternative employment. The help provided will vary depending upon particular needs, not the age group of individuals, or the period of unemployment following redundancy. Typically, this involves the provision of information, advice and guidance about jobs and how best to secure alternative employment. In the case of large-scale redundancies that have a significant impact on the labour market, additional help, for example skills training analysis and job focused training can be provided through the rapid response service. This help is not age related but it is time bound to 12 weeks before and 12 weeks following someone being made redundant. In the event that these redundant workers have not found alternative work within this period they then access all the other Jobcentre Plus services stated. The rapid response service is available in England, Scotland and Wales although different processes apply within each country.
	Through our Age Positive Campaign, we are working with employers and others to promote the business benefits of an age diverse workforce and best practice on age in recruitment, training and promotion. In May 2005 we launched the "Be Ready" national information campaign to raise employer awareness of, and ability to adopt, flexible employment and retirement opportunities to support the recruitment and retention of older workers in advance of age legislation due in October 2006.
	The Department for Education and Skills has responsibility for apprenticeships and training grants. The development and delivery of programmes to help unemployed people in Northern Ireland into work is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office.

Pathways to Work

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to respond to the findings of his Department's research into the "Pathways to Work" pilots relating to the impact of the policy on those who report having one health problem of mental illness.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 12 July 2006
	The Department is committed to providing appropriate support for people with mental health conditions, which is why the Condition Management programme within Pathways has been developed. It is clear that Pathways is helping large numbers of people with a mental health condition to move from Welfare to Work. In our qualitative research both personal advisers and Condition Management practitioners have provided individual examples of progression for people with mental health conditions.
	The Department will continue to monitor and assess the effectiveness of Pathways for those with a mental health condition. Evaluation findings will be fed into future developments for Pathways.

Post Office Card Account

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the likely impact on pensioners of the discontinuation of the Post Office card account.

James Plaskitt: The Post Office card account has allowed some customers, including pensioners, to get used to the basics of banking. In practice, there is no real difference in accessing money at the post office via a bank account compared to a Post Office card account. Customers can collect the same money, on the same day as they do now at the post office, by using a plastic card and a personal identification number.
	Around 90 per cent. of pensioners already have access to a bank account suitable for direct payment. In making use of existing bank accounts, or opening new ones, pensioners will have a wider choice about where and when they collect their money. They will have the opportunity to make savings on their fuel bills by paying them through direct debit, the option to pay in cash as well as cheques, and to receive interest on balances.

Poverty (Gravesham)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of  (a) adults and  (b) children were living in poverty in Gravesham constituency in each year since 1997.

Jim Murphy: Child poverty information below regional level is not available.

Remploy and Interwork

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many directorships in respect of external organisations the chief operating officer of Remploy has sought leave  (a) to retain and  (b) to take up.

Anne McGuire: The chief operating officer of Remploy has sought leave from the Remploy Board to retain two existing directorships in respect of external organisations but has not sought leave to take up any further directorships.

Remploy and Interwork

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost was to his Department of employing an employee in  (a) Remploy and  (b) Interwork in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   Average cost (£) 
			 Employing a disabled person in Remploy 11,690 
			 Employing a disabled person in a Remploy factory 19,472 
			 Employing a disabled person in Remploy Interwork 3,120 
			 Employing an employee, including non-disabled people, in Remploy 16,009 
			 Employing an employee, including non-disabled people, in Interwork 2,950

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the per capita budget for adult community learning is of each local authority area in England, listed in descending order.

Phil Hope: The exact makeup and distribution of learning provision at local level are matters for local Learning and Skills Councils and their partners in colleges and other providers, according to their assessment of local needs and priorities. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with more detailed information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 14 July 2006:
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the per capita budget for adult community learning.
	The relevant data is attached. In the data, per capita budget figures for the academic year August 2005/July 2006 Adult and Community Learning (ACL) have been derived using each local LSC's total budget for all of the following funding lines of which ACL was comprised:
	Main ACL
	Family Learning
	Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy (FLLN)
	Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities (NLDC)
	Population statistics for people of 20 years and above have been used, as the category for 19 year olds includes 15-19 year olds.
	Some local authorities do not receive ACL funding. Funds in some local authority areas are directly funded, by the LSC, to other types of organisation, such as further education colleges and voluntary and community providers. In some cases local authority area population statistics aren't easily connected to the range of organisations receiving the ACL funding in that area. Therefore the attached data shows each local authority area within its local LSC area. The per capita figures have then been derived from division of total budgets for each local LSC area, by aggregate population figures for local authorities within that local LSC area.
	In providing this data we have tried to be as open as possible in providing you with useful information.

Adult Education

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the reasons are for the change in levels of funding for adult education in Gravesend; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Since 1997 we have increased investment in further education (FE) by £2.5 billion—around 48 per cent. in real terms. Overall we are broadly maintaining funding for adults programmes at £2.9 million although this will increasingly be focused on our priorities. I announced on 21 October 2005 our priorities for post-16 learning which are: raising participation and achievement of young people; driving down the skills deficit in adult workforce; and ensuring a wide range of learning opportunities at Level 3. I also reaffirmed our commitment to safeguard the funding for personal and community development in mainstream FE and local authority funded adult education with a budget of £210 million in 2006/07.
	The 2006/07 funding allocations for providers in the Gravesend area would have taken into account these priorities as well as local circumstances and need. It is essential that funding is prioritised on these areas if we are to address skills weaknesses and improve productivity.
	Providers also have the opportunity, if they succeed in meeting employer needs, to access additional funding through Train to Gain, our new national employer training programme. If successful a provider's net funding position could therefore increase.

After-school Clubs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of parents' willingness to pay for children's after-school clubs.

Beverley Hughes: All schools must consult with parents before setting charges for their extended services, including after-school clubs; and must agree and publish charging and remissions policies.
	My Department published guidance for schools and local authorities on planning and funding extended services, including after-school clubs, on 5 June 2006. The guidance is intended to help extended schools plan and fund their activities in ways that reflect local needs and circumstances; and build on existing provision offered by the voluntary and private sectors.
	Many schools already charge for some after-school activities, offered either as 'stand alone' opportunities or as part of childcare provision. Working parents paying for childcare are eligible to apply for the childcare element of the working tax credit, which can recoup up to 80 per cent. of the costs. Our guidance encourages local authorities and schools to help parents to access working tax credits and benefits to which they may be entitled.

Building Schools for the Future

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the criteria for involvement in the Building Schools for the Future pathfinder programme include whether the proposed school or schools admit pupils aged 11 to 16, 11 to 18 or 13 to 18 years.

Jim Knight: It is for the local authority to choose the secondary school to receive this investment, which must have high building need. The Department has not specified a particular secondary age range.

Bullying

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many incidents of reported  (a) racist and  (b) homophobic bullying there have been in schools in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answers dated 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1120W and 28 June 2006,  Official Report, column 466W, to the hon. Member of Brent, East (Sarah Teather)

Child Care Costs

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when his Department plans to publish the results of its research into numbers of nursery, playgroup and day-care providers whose actual costs of provision for three and four year olds exceed the sum received from Government.

Beverley Hughes: The Department carries out a nationally representative survey of all childcare providers annually to provide a range of data to help monitor progress towards meeting key government targets in the provision of childcare and early years services and to inform the strategic development of policy in this area. The nature of the data collection does not permit separate analysis of costs of provision for three and four year olds for each provider.
	Fieldwork for the 2006 survey is currently under-way and will be completed in early September. Results from the survey will be published in spring 2007 and available on the DFES website at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research. Findings from previous years' surveys are also published on the DFES website.
	Future work is under way in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review considering the impact on the cost of provision of extending the free entitlement to 15 hours per week and increasing flexibility by 2010. My Department has announced that it will be exploring how to extend the entitlement through pathfinders in a selection of local authorities from April 2007. The pathfinders will also consider the funding implications of extending the free entitlement. Evaluation of the pathfinders will be published in due course.

Child Support

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support services are available for children leaving care in West Lancashire constituency.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 17 July 2006,  Official Report, column 167W.

Citizenship Education

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether his review of the citizenship curriculum will include a study of the ways in which  (a) Parliament and  (b) local government can contribute to the delivery of the curriculum;
	(2)  if he will ensure that his review of the citizenship curriculum will include consideration of measures to improve the training available for teachers and other school staff responsible for delivering the curriculum.

Jim Knight: The Government consider citizenship education an important element of the National Curriculum. The current review of citizenship will focus on the content of the curriculum and the broad themes upon which it is based. We recognise the significant role that Parliament and local government have to play in the education of young people and encourage teachers to organise lessons to include active learning about these institutions. Specific guidance on how to do this has been sent to all schools by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Training teachers in the effective delivery of citizenship is a priority and we are funding 1,200 places for the continuing professional development citizenship certification course over the next two years. This is in addition to the 1,000 specialist teachers who will be trained by the end of this year.

Direct Schools Grant

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he used for pupil numbers in each local education authority for the purposes of calculating the direct schools grant for 2005-06; and whether these figures have been revised.

Jim Knight: Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) was allocated for first time for 2006-07 and 2007-08, replacing the Schools Formula Spending Shares.
	The DSG is calculated by multiplying each local authority's number of full-time equivalent pupils (aged three to 15) by the Guaranteed Unit of Funding as announced in December 2005. This is the sum that each authority knew it would receive for every pupil in its schools in January 2006 and in January 2007.
	Indicative allocations of DSG were also issued in December 2005 for 2006-07 and 2007-08. As actual pupil numbers were not available at that time, the indicative allocations were based on forecast pupil numbers for January 2006 and January 2007. Forecasts were based on historical trends, further information can be found in the DSG Explanatory note on allocations and pupil projections at:
	http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=9224.
	Final allocations of DSG for 2006-07 are based on the actual numbers of pupils in the authority's schools on the January 2006 pupil count date. My Department made it clear that final DSG allocations would be based on actual January 2006 pupil numbers, and that they were advised to make their own predictions of pupil numbers for planning purposes, based on locally available data and as the January 2006 pupil data came in.
	The Department issued final allocations of DSG for 2006-07, based on actual January 2006 numbers, on 1 June 2006. Revised forecasts for 2007-08 will be issued over the summer and the 2007-08 allocations of DSG will be finalised around the same time next year.

Examinations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of examinations taken in  (a) mathematics,  (b) English,  (c) science,  (d) music,  (e) French,  (f) physical education and  (g) leisure and tourism at (i) GCSE and (ii) A-level were set by Edexcel in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) publishes data on national results each year in August via its website at www.jcq.org.uk. The most recent examination series for which the data are available is summer 2005. The following tables show the total number of results issued in each subject for the awarding bodies based in England which offer GCSE and A-level examinations, and the proportion of results that were issued by Edexcel.
	
		
			  GCSE (full course)( 1) 
			  Subject  Total number of results issued by English-based awarding bodies  Total number of results issued by Edexcel  Percentage 
			 Maths 694,754 351,583 50.60 
			 English Language 600,764 29,715 4.95 
			 English Literature 492,906 23,392 4.75 
			 Science (Double Award) 1,019,577 188,571 18.50 
			 French 258,456 46,838 18.12 
			 Music 54,279 2,334 4.30 
			 PE 151,624 5,688 3.75 
			 Leisure and Tourism (Applied GCSE) 17,071 8,222 48.16 
			 (1) These data refer to full course entries only 
		
	
	
		
			  GCE A-level( 1) 
			  Subject  Total number of results issued by English-based awarding bodies  Total number of results issued by Edexcel  Percentage 
			 Maths 53,622 24,075 44.90 
			 English Language 16,041 1,424 8.78 
			 English Literature 45,928 8,698 18.94 
			 Biology 48,207 8,956 18.58 
			 Chemistry 34,804 8,956 25.73 
			 Physics 25,780 8,030 31.15 
			 French 12,019 5,726 47.64 
			 Music 8,765 6,594 75.23 
			 PE 21,084 3,368 15.97 
			 Leisure and Tourism (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			 (1) These data refer to A2 examinations only, not AS (2) No data available—first certification summer 2006

Examinations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many final grades at  (a) GCSE and  (b) A level were incorrectly awarded and subsequently corrected in each of the past five years.

Jim Knight: Data on the appeals process for the awarding bodies which set and offer GCSE, AS and A Level examinations in England are collected and published annually by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). The following tables show the information requested for 2003, 2004, and 2005. Comparable data are not available for previous years.
	The information provided in the following tables is provided at a qualification level for GCSEs and at a unit level for AS and A Levels. These data cover the three English-based awarding bodies which provide these examinations.
	
		
			  GCSE  2003  2004  2005 
			 Number of entries (qualifications) 523,8371 541,2338 533,6919 
			 Enquiries as percentage of entries 0.70 0.80 0.85 
			 Number of enquiries about results 36,686 43,207 45,439 
			 Number of changes to final grades 9,374 9,810 10,628 
			 Changes as percentage of entries 0.18 0.18 0.20 
		
	
	
		
			  A level  2003  2004( 1)  2005( 1) 
			 Number of entries (units)(2) 544,392 6,330,959 6,296,768 
			 Enquiries as percentage of entries 0.95 0.78 0.78 
			 Number of enquiries about results 51,519 49,520 48,828 
			 Number of changes to final grades 6,107 7,263 5,355 
			 Changes as percentage of entries 0.11 0.11 0.09 
			 (1 )The information on A Level examinations for 2004 and 2005 includes AS, A Level and Vocational Certificate of Education (VCE) examinations. (2 )The number of entries for A level examinations is the number of separate units awarded in the summer examination series, rather than the number of complete A level qualifications in that series, as each qualification comprises a number of units, and the final result of each unit can be queried or changed.

Examinations

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many appeals there were against final grades awarded at  (a) GCSE and  (b) A level in each of the past five years.

Jim Knight: Data on the number of appeals are collected annually by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as the regulatory authority for the public examinations system in England. The appeals procedure can only be invoked once the Enquiries about Results (EAR) services has been exhausted.
	The following table shows the information requested for 2003, 2004, and 2005 for the awarding bodies based in England which offer GCSE, AS and A Level qualifications. Comparable data are not available for previous years. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of this data by qualification.
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			 Number of entries (qualifications) 6,946,999 7,221,124 7,200,647 
			 Number of appeals 598 649 730 
			 Appeals as percentage of entries 0.009 0.009 0.010 
			 Number of successful appeals 89 206 100 
			 Successful appeals as percentage of entries 0.001 0.003 0.001

Examinations

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students in English schools taking GCSE  (a) Art,  (b) Drama and  (c) Music achieved grades A* to C in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The following table shows pupils(1) achieving a grade A*-C at GCSE in 2005 in  (a) Art and Design,  (b) Drama, and  (c) Music, as a percentage of pupils who attempted the subject.
	
		
			  Subject  Number of pupils( 1)  (Thousand)  Percentage achieving A*-C 
			 Art and Design 186.8 69 
			 Drama 93.8 70 
			 Music 52.7 70 
			 (1 )Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 who attempted GCSE in the 2004-05 academic year

Free School Meals

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many primary school pupils were eligible for free school meals in Swindon in each year since 1997; what percentage of the total this represented in each year; and how many took up their entitlement in each year.

Jim Knight: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1) : school meal arrangements 1997-2006( 2) . Position in January each year. Swindon local authority and England 
			   Swindon local authority area( 3) 
			   Number on roll( 4)  Number of pupils taking free school meals  Percentage taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1998 18,047 2,223 12.3 2,768 15.3 
			 1999 18,072 1,925 10.7 2,563 14.2 
			 2000 17,928 1,830 10.2 2,372 13.2 
			 2001 17,901 1,739 9.7 2,238 12.5 
			 2002 17,626 1,638 9.3 2,104 11.9 
			 2003 17,350 1,692 9.8 2,065 11.9 
			 2004 17,249 1,641 9.5 2,134 12.4 
			 2005 16,857 1,338 7.9 1,861 11.0 
			 2006(2) 16,906 1,180 7.0 1,494 8.8 
		
	
	
		
			   England 
			   Number on roll( 4)  Number of pupils taking free school meals  Percentage taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1998 4,460,128 727,838 16.3 886,069 19.9 
			 1999 4,507,663 690,321 15.3 853,020 18.9 
			 2000 4,435,343 668,177 15.1 816,994 18.4 
			 2001 4,406,187 628,507 14.3 779,307 17.7 
			 2002 4,363,270 613,561 14.1 750,594 17.2 
			 2003 4,309,777 601,896 14.0 727,631 16.9 
			 2004 4,254,206 605,839 14.2 737,220 17.3 
			 2005 4,205,665 565,829 13.5 713,684 17.0 
			 2006(2) 4,150,593 553,688 13.3 666,886 16.1 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2 )Provisional. (3 )Swindon local authority was formed in April 1997 as a result of Local Government Reorganisation, therefore there is no data available prior to this. (4 )Prior to 2003 'Number on roll' includes all full-time and part-time pupils who are solely registered, excluding boarding pupils. Due to underlying changes in data collection, this coverage was extended to also include all pupils with dual (main) registration and boarding pupils from 2003.  Source: Schools Census.

Higher Education

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many students from Cornwall were in  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time higher education in the UK excluding Cornwall in each year since 1990, broken down by (i) the socio-economic classifications of students' parents or guardians, (ii) sex and (iii) age;
	(2)  how many students were in  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time higher education in Cornwall in each year since 1990, broken down by (i) the socio-economic classifications of students' parents or guardians, (ii) sex and (iii) age.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 13 July 2006
	The latest available information is shown in the tables. Data for the years prior to 1996/97 are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Undergraduate students from the UK studying in Cornwall( 1) 
			   1996/97  1997/98  1998/99  1999/2000 
			   FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT 
			 Total 860 45 895 55 870 45 935 45 
			  of which: 
			  Gender 
			 Male 460 5 460 5 410 5 415 5 
			 Female 400 40 435 50 460 40 520 40 
			  
			  Age 
			 Under 21 395 0 415 0 430 0 475 0 
			 21 and over 470 45 480 55 440 45 460 40 
		
	
	
		
			   2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			   FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT 
			 Total 1,060 50 1,155 40 1,280 40 1,430 50 1,555 50 
			  of which:   
			  Gender   
			 Male 450 5 490 5 545 5 645 10 685 10 
			 Female 610 45 665 35 735 35 785 40 870 40 
			
			  Age   
			 Under 21 560 0 595 0 665 0 770 0 865 0 
			 21 and over 500 50 565 40 610 40 660 50 685 50 
			 (1) Including students from Cornwall. Covers students at higher education institutions located in Cornwall.  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5, so constituent parts may not sum to totals. 2. Excludes students at institutions outside Cornwall which have campuses within Cornwall.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	
		
			  Undergraduate students from Cornwall( 1)  studying in the UK (excluding those studying in Cornwall) 
			   1996/97  1997/98  1998/99  1999/2000 
			   FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT 
			 Total 6,625 2,515 6,900 2,305 7,130 2,625 7,310 2,920 
			  of which: 
			  Gender 
			 Male 3,210 925 3,300 885 3,410 920 3,440 990 
			 Female 3,415 1,590 3,600 1,420 3,720 1,705 3,870 1,930 
			  
			  Age 
			 Under 21 3,850 50 4,080 35 4,315 55 4,510 60 
			 21 and over 2,775 2,460 2,820 2,265 2,815 2,570 2,800 2,855 
		
	
	
		
			   2000/01  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			   FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT  FT  PT 
			 Total 7,365 3,075 7,455 3,245 7,450 3,570 7,690 4,125 7,720 4,115 
			  of which:   
			  Gender   
			 Male 3,405 1,075 3,440 1,125 3,340 1,155 3,400 1,260 3,335 1,275 
			 Female 3,960 2,000 4,015 2,120 4,110 2,415 4,290 2,865 4,385 2,840 
			
			  Age   
			 Under 21 4,470 90 4,430 85 4,300 85 4,450 100 4,390 125 
			 21 and over 2,895 2,985 3,025 3,165 3,150 3,480 3,245 4,025 3,330 3,985 
			 (1) Students from Cornwall have been identified by reference to their home postcode. The proportion of students who provided a valid postcode has increased in each year since 1996/97 and this will have contributed to the increase in the number of students from Cornwall shown in the table.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5, so constituent parts may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	
		
			  First degree students from the UK studying in Cornwall( 1) 
			  FT 
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Total 1,275 1,335 1,555 
			  of which:
			  Socio economic group( 2)
			 1-3 245 565 860 
			 4-7 105 305 425 
			 Not known 925 465 270 
			 (1) Including students from Cornwall. (2) Socio-economic information was collected for the first time in 2002/03. It was only collected for students who entered full-time courses via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Comparable information is not available for students on part-time courses. Prior to 2002/03 a different classification of social background was used but this is not available from the HESA data.  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5, so constituent parts may not sum to totals. 2. The categories of socio-economic groups are:  1 = Higher managerial and professional occupations, 2 = Lower managerial and professional occupations, 3 = Intermediate occupations, 4 = Small employers and own account workers,  5 = Lower supervisory and technical occupations, 6 = Semi-routine occupations, 7 = Routine occupations.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	
		
			  First degree students from Cornwall studying in the UK (excluding those studying in Cornwall) 
			  FT 
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Total 6,075 6,220 6,155 
			  of which:
			  Socio economic group( 1)
			 1-3 945 1,885 2,705 
			 4-7 505 1,010 1,445 
			 Not known 4,625 3,325 2,005 
			 (1) Socio-economic information was collected for the first time in 2002/03. It was only collected for students who entered full-time courses via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Comparable information is not available for students on part-time courses. Prior to 2002/03 a different classification of social background was used but this is not available from the HESA data.  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5, so constituent parts may not sum to totals.  2. The categories of socio-economic groups are: 1 = Higher managerial and professional occupations, 2 = Lower managerial and professional occupations, 3 = Intermediate occupations, 4 = Small employers and own account workers, 5 = Lower supervisory and technical occupations, 6 = Semi-routine occupations, 7 = Routine occupations.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

International Students

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact on the number of international students applying to English universities of the different rules on visa extensions which apply in England and Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: It is too soon to assess the impact of the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme on international student numbers. This scheme was introduced in June 2005 as part of the Fresh Talent Initiative to help to address the ageing and declining population in Scotland. International students are able to stay in the UK following completion of their studies under the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme. This scheme was extended in May to enable all international students, on completion of a postgraduate degree, or an undergraduate degree in a shortage sector, to work in the UK for up to 12 months. The numbers of international students coming to English higher education institutions to study increased by nearly 60 per cent. between 2000/01 and 2004/05, the latest date for which figures are available. The Government recognise the benefits that international students bring to institutions, to the economy and to the country more generally. We also recognise that the international education market has become more competitive. That is why on 18 April this year the Prime Minister announced the second phase of his international education initiative which is designed to secure the UK's position as a leader in the field of international education.

NUT

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the National Union of Teachers on education policies; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: An introductory meeting between the Secretary of State and the General Secretary of the NUT took place earlier this month.

Official Communications (Schools)

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) written and  (b) electronic communications were sent to (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools by (A) his Department and (B) other official education bodies in 2005.

Jim Knight: The Department sent 20 emails automatically to all primary and secondary schools in 2005. These emails provided schools with a regular update on the information and resources available to them online and in hard copy.
	The Department only sends hard copy publications automatically to schools in England in exceptional cases having stopped regular paper mailings in December 2004. Discussions with head teachers and detailed research showed that schools wanted to be able to choose the printed publications they needed, when they needed them, and to be able to order multiple copies. No hard copy publications were sent automatically to all schools in 2005.
	Details relating to publications sent to all schools by NDPBs during the academic year 2004-05 can be found in the Department's annual section 38 report. The latest report, issued in October 2005, showed that 29 publications had been sent to all secondary schools and 22 to all primary between January 2005 and July 2005. Where a document has been sent to both primary and secondary schools it will appear in both figures.
	The Department does not currently hold details of emails sent by NDPBs to all schools.

Qualification and Curriculum Authority

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual cost to public funds was of the Qualification and Curriculum Authority in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The annual cost to public funds of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in each of the last five years was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 72.2 
			 2002-03 79.3 
			 2003-04 82.9 
			 2004-05 119.2 
			 2005-06 135.0 
		
	
	The increase in the annual cost to public funds in recent years is largely attributable to the costs of modernising the examinations system. This programme of work was announced by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on 17 November 2003.

Research Assessment Exercise

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has undertaken of the cost effectiveness of the operation of the research assessment exercise.

Bill Rammell: The Higher Education Funding Council for England has estimated the total cost of the 2008 research assessment exercise (RAE) as at least £45 million. Although that is not a disproportionate sum in view of the size of the budgets whose allocation the RAE informs, the bulk of those costs relate to the time that university staff spend preparing for the exercise. One of the main objectives of the consultation proposals on the reform of higher education research assessment and funding that my Department published on 13 June is to devise a system to replace the RAE which continues to promote high-quality research but frees researchers from the administrative burdens associated with the RAE, allowing more of their time to be spent on academic work.

School Closures

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in rural areas were approved for closure in 2005, broken down by local authority area.

Jim Knight: In 2005, eight rural schools were approved for closure. All of these were primary schools. The following table lists the schools by local authority area.
	Decisions about school closures are taken locally. Since February 1998 there has been a presumption against the closure of rural schools. Although this does not mean that no rural school will ever close, decision makers must satisfy themselves that closure is clearly in the best interests of educational provision in the area.
	
		
			  Local authority  Name of school 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire Thorngumbald Junior school 
			 Northumberland Byrness First school 
			  Horncliffe First school 
			 North Yorkshire Womersley Church of England Primary school 
			 Wakefield Walton Junior school 
			 Wiltshire East Tytherton Maud Heath primary 
			  Parley All Saints Church of England primary school 
			 Worcestershire Stone C of E First school 
			  Note: These figures exclude amalgamations where two schools have been replaced by one new school on an existing site.

School Toilets

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the required toilet to  (a) male and  (b) female staff ratio is in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Jim Knight: Regulation 4 of The School Premises Regulations(1) requires that
	"In every school there shall be a washroom or washrooms which are adequate for the number of staff at the school".
	There are no required toilet ratios for male and female toilets. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 provide a table of the minimum number of water closets and wash stations for different numbers of staff as follows:
	(1) http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/19990002.htm.
	
		
			  Number of people at work  Number of water closets  Number of wash stations 
			 1-5 1 1 
			 6-25 2 2 
			 26-50 3 3

School Toilets

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) England, (ii) each region and (iii) each local education authority have outdoor toilets that are still in use.

Jim Knight: Information on numbers of outdoor toilets at schools is not held by my Department. In 1998-2000, £19 million was allocated to local authorities to ensure that every school had indoor toilet provision. Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £5.8 billion this year and will rise further to over £6.3 billion by 2007-08.
	Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of outdoor toilets.

School Toilets

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on repairing toilets in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: Decisions on how much is spent on repairing toilets in primary and secondary schools are not made centrally but by local authorities and their schools. The Department does not have records of expenditure at this level of detail.

School Toilets

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what has been done to improve accessibility to school toilets for disabled pupils.

Jim Knight: Statutory requirements have been put in place, along with non-statutory guidance and funding to assist local authorities, governing bodies and proprietors of schools in meeting their duties to improve access and provision for disabled pupils in schools. This includes the provision of accessible toilets for pupils with disabilities.
	1. Local authorities, governing bodies and proprietors of schools have planning duties under The Disability Discrimination Act Part 4 Education 2001 to improve access to schools for disabled pupils. They should also comply with The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 (regulations 3 and 9), The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003, The Building Regulations 2000 (as amended). The Department issues non-statutory guidance in the form of Building Bulletins and information issued on the Teachernet website www.teachernet.gov.uk/schoolbuildings.
	2. Each year, Schools Access Initiative funding is allocated to authorities and schools so that they can improve buildings for the needs of disabled pupils. This funding is now £100 million each year, and can be augmented by funding from other sources. Some of this will be used for the provision of accessible toilets for pupils with disabilities where this is the local priority. Compliance with non-statutory guidance is usually required for all school buildings funded by the Department.

Science Centres

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what financial support the Government have provided to science centres over the past five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent meetings he has held with representatives of science centres to discuss their future role and funding;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the contribution science centres make to students choosing to pursue science-based university degrees and careers.

Bill Rammell: The DfES together with the DTI provided joint funding of £2 million to science centres in 2004-06 to help alleviate short-term funding problems.
	Officials from both DfES and DTI met with ECSITE-UK, the umbrella body that represents the science and discovery centre network, in April to discuss their future role and funding. It is our aim that the centres should work to become viable without ongoing government support and should identify alternative sources of funding from local Learning and Skills Councils, Regional Development Agencies and any other sources at local and regional level. Although there has been no firm commitment from our Departments on future funding, ECSITE-UK have been asked to submit a proposal outlining how the centres will work together more collaboratively and pursue innovative ways of becoming more financially viable, and how the DfES and DTI can help them to achieve this.
	No formal assessment has been made to gauge the contribution science centres make to students choosing to pursue science-based university degrees and careers.

Secondary School Pupils

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary school-age children there are expected to be in  (a) Oldham metropolitan borough and  (b) Tameside metropolitan borough in each of the next 10 academic years.

Jim Knight: Population estimates for Oldham and Tameside metropolitan borough areas are the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics. The 2003 based projections for children aged 11 to 18 in each area are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Projection of population aged 11 to 18 in Oldham and Tameside at mid-year 
			  Thousand 
			   Oldham  Tameside 
			 2005 24.9 24.0 
			 2006 24.6 23.7 
			 2007 24.4 23.4 
			 2008 24.4 23.1 
			 2009 24.3 22.7 
			 2010 24.1 22.2 
			 2011 23.8 21.6 
			 2012 23.4 21.2 
			 2013 23.4 20.9 
			 2014 23.4 20.7 
			 2015 23.4 20.5 
			 2016 23.3 20.4

Special Educational Needs

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he plans to take in response to the report of the Education and Skills Select Committee on special educational needs, with particular reference to steps to address the recommendation regarding the facilitation and encouragement of collaborative arrangements between communities of schools.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government will be giving their formal response to the Select Committee's report in due course. They will address the points the Committee has made about encouraging collaborative working across communities of schools. The Government's special educational needs strategy "Removing Barriers to Achievement" (2004) encouraged greater collaboration between special and mainstream schools through involving special schools in mainstream programmes, such as the Specialist Schools and Building Schools for the Future programmes.

Student Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many graduates have been contacted by the Student Loans Company in circumstances where the Student Loans Company believes the individual should be making repayments on an income-contingent student loan but they are not; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Student Loans Company does not contact individual borrowers on this basis as it does not know what an individual's income is and consequently whether they should be making repayments or not. Income contingent loans are collected through the tax system. The SLC ensures that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has the right information needed to match borrowers with taxpayer records so that employers can make deductions, and HMRC can collect repayments through the self assessment process, when a borrower is earning over £15,000.

Sure Start

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the Sure Start scheme on children in the Hollinwood ward of Oldham, with particular reference to educational attainment.

Beverley Hughes: Sure Start Hollinwood was set up in 1999 and became a children's centre in 2004. Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) carried out their own evaluations assessing progress against a range of outcomes for children, including educational attainment, as part of their local level monitoring and evaluation. Sure Start Hollinwood's evaluation of its first three years of operation and its other reports can be obtained directly from the programme or from the National Evaluation of Sure Start website www.ness.bbk.ac.uk. The Three-Year Evaluation showed how the programme had developed regular 10 week family literacy courses for children and their carers; supported four independent community based pre-schools allowing them to improve their curriculum and ran a six week group for children aged between 12 and 18 months providing parents with ideas on how they could help their children's early communication and allowing them to borrow 'chat bags' containing a book, nursery rhyme tape and musical instrument.
	The impact of Sure Start Local Programmes nationally on children is being assessed through a comprehensive National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS). It is too early yet to see an impact on educational attainment as the children being tracked through the evaluation are only just three years old. However, this is being assessed and results on this will be available in due course.
	NESS is also looking at if and how the characteristics of SSLP communities change over time and early analysis shows that achievement at Key Stage 2 in Maths and English and proportion of children achieving five GCSEs A*-C has improved for children in Round 1-4 SSLP areas faster than in England though this cannot be attributed to Sure Start.

HEALTH

Air Products

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the quality of the service provided by Air Products in Greater Manchester to patients dependent on home oxygen.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 July 2006
	A six-month transitional programme to transfer patients to new suppliers began on 1 February 2006. Action is continuing with Air Products to address the quality of service provision including issues of particular concern to patients. There is room for further improvement and we are closely monitoring progress in conjunction with the national health service. At this time, there is continuous assessment of all suppliers, including Air Products, with regular meetings to discuss suppliers' reports on progress and action to tackle emerging issues.

Ambulances

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of ambulances responding to a 999 call in Lancashire in the last 12 months had a paramedic on board; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information on paramedics on board ambulances responding to 999 calls is not collected centrally.
	Each ambulance service should plan to provide appropriate resources to meet local demand. This may include resources in addition to traditional ambulance provision, for example rapid response vehicles and motorbikes, as well as utilising staff such as community paramedics or emergency care practitioners. Patients who need a traditional ambulance response will continue to receive one. The fleet mix will vary across the country depending on operational and geographical requirements.

Audiology

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received in relation to the decision to exclude audiology from the 18-week waiting time target for treatment.

Ivan Lewis: Representations have been received from various stakeholders, including hon. Members, and there has been a great deal of correspondence on the topic.

Avian Influenza

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the potential threat of H5N1 avian influenza to the population of Great Britain.

Rosie Winterton: European Union and United Kingdom (UK) controls are in place aimed at preventing the spread of bird flu. Nonetheless, it remains a remote possibility that bird flu could be introduced to poultry through the migration of wild birds, the illegal importation of dead chickens for consumption, the illegal importation of live birds or the entry into the UK of a person who has acquired the illness in an infected area. The Department, in close collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), maintains an on-going assessment of these risks.
	DEFRA publishes and regularly updates risk assessments on the threat to the UK of the introduction of H5N1 from birds which is available in its latest publication, "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 situation in Europe and potential risk factors for the introduction of the virus to the United Kingdom". It can be found at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/latest-situation/index.htm
	The Department recently commissioned a report from the Health Protection Agency, "Addressing a Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment (QMRA) of the Risks Posed to UK Public Health by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1"
	The risk of the H5N1 avian influenza virus acquiring the ability to spread more easily from person to person or to spread more readily from birds to people is constantly monitored by the World Health Organisation and its assessments are published on its website at:
	www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/index.html
	The Government have well-developed plans in place to act early in the event of any outbreak of avian influenza in poultry, to put in place measures to contain it, and to protect those workers involved in controlling it. DEFRA has published its contingency plan on its website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/avianinfluenza-contplan.htm

Breast Cancer

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on breast cancer screening in  (a) Guildford and Waverley primary care trust,  (b) Surrey and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Figures on the funding of local breast screening services are not held centrally. Funding for breast screening is in primary health care trust baselines and the Department estimates that the national health service breast screening programme costs around £172 million per year.

Breast Cancer

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government will lobby the World Health Organisation to change the International Classification of Diseases to reflect inflammatory breast cancer as a discrete type of disease.

Rosie Winterton: We are not aware of a need for inflammatory breast cancer to be classified as a discrete type of disease and therefore will not be lobbying the World Health Organisation on this matter.

Capital Budget Underspends

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS organisations underspent on their capital budget in 2005-06; and by how much in each case.

Andy Burnham: The 2005-06 provisional outturn is the most recently published data on the national health service's financial position. The data show that the provisional capital underspend in 2005-06 was £1,162 million. Of the 566 NHS organisations in 2005-06, 494 underspent against their capital budget. A table containing this information is available in the Library.

Clostridium Difficile

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths have been caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile in  (a) Chase Farm Hospital and  (b) North Middlesex Hospital in each of the last three years.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 July 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths have been caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile in (a) Chase Farm Hospital and (b) North Middlesex Hospital in each of the last three years. (85889)
	Special analyses of deaths involving Clostridium difficile are undertaken annually by ONS for England and Wales. These are published in Health Statistics Quarterly. The latest year for which such figures are available is 2004. Information on the numbers of deaths between 1999 and 2004 involving Clostridium difficile was published in "Health Statistics Quarterly" 30 in May 2006.(1) The number of deaths in NHS Hospitals where Clostridium difficile was a contributory factor in the years 2001 to 2004 was 6,168 out of a total of 1,178,776 deaths in NHS Hospitals. A breakdown of the figures by individual hospital could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	(1 )Office for National Statistics (2005) Report: Deaths involving  Clostridium difficile. England and Wales, 1999-2004. "Health Statistics Quarterly" 30, 56-60.

Community Hospitals

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that community hospitals meeting the criteria laid down in "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" are not adversely affected by financial deficits faced by primary care trusts.

Andy Burnham: The White Paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: a new direction for community services" makes clear that community hospitals should not be lost in response to short-term budgetary pressures that are not related to the viability of the community facility itself.
	The Department wrote to strategic health authorities (SHAs) on 16 February 2006 about the need for SHAs to assure themselves that all primary care trust (PCT) proposals for changes relating to community hospitals are consistent with the long-term strategy of the White Paper to move care closer to patients' homes and that local people are properly consulted. In addition, the Department held meetings with SHAs during March 2006 to discuss local plans for reconfiguration of community services.

Community Hospitals

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 819, on community hospitals, how many community hospitals in the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority area are based in Victorian workhouse facilities;
	(2)  pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 826, how many community hospitals have  (a) opened and  (b) closed in the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority area since 1997; and how many are being considered for closure.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Community Hospitals

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 816-7, on community hospitals, if she will ask the South West strategic health authority to assure itself that the proposals from  (a) West Gloucestershire primary care trust to the close the Dilke Memorial hospital and the Lydney and District Community hospital and  (b) the Gloucestershire Partnership Trust to close Colliers Court are not being made in response to short-term budgetary pressures.

Andy Burnham: The Department wrote to strategic health authorities (SHAs) on 16 February 2006 about the need for SHAs to assure themselves that all primary care trust (PCT) proposals for changes relating to community hospitals are consistent with the long-term strategy of the "Our health, Our Care, Our Say" White Paper. Copies of that letter area available in the Library. In addition, the Department held meetings with SHAs during March 2006 to ensure that any plans locally to reconfigure community services support the White Paper principles of providing modern health and social care in more local and community settings. These sentiments were repeated in paragraphs 3.7 and 3.8 of the Government's recently published document "Our health, our care, our community: investing in the future of community hospitals and services".

Continuing NHS Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to consult on the details of the  (a) screening tool and  (b) decision support tool for determining eligibility for continuing NHS care.

Ivan Lewis: We are consulting on the national decision support tool as part of the current national consultation on continuing care. A draft of this tool has been published, alongside the consultation documents. Comments and contributions are welcomed as is the case with all the consultation documents.
	We are currently consulting on the principles behind the screening tool. Should it be decided to produce a screening tool, as an outcome of the consultation, it will undergo rigorous benchmarking.

Deaf-Blindness

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what specialist services are available in Herefordshire for children with deaf-blindness;
	(2)  what the Government's recommended time limit is for Herefordshire council to carry out assessments of children with deaf-blindness for specialist services.

Ivan Lewis: Information relating to specialist services in Herefordshire for children with deaf-blindness is not held centrally. Information on such services can be obtained from either Herefordshire county council or Herefordshire primary care trust.
	There is no recommended time limit for the assessments of children with deaf-blindness for specialist services.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her plans are for the provision of training for dental technicians in the south of England; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: As part of our major investment programme for the expansion of dental education, the university of Portsmouth opened a school of professionals complementary to dentistry in 2004 and, in January 2006, we announced that the university of Exeter and the university of Plymouth would be establishing a new Peninsula dental school. These universities are considering whether provision for the training of dental technicians could be incorporated into the expansion programme.

Dentistry

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there are in the Easington primary care trust area; and how many dentists have opted out of the NHS in the Easington primary care trust area.

Rosie Winterton: As at 31 March 2006, there were 19 national health service dentists with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract within Easington primary care trust (PCT).
	Information on the number of dentists who have not signed the new contract is not available centrally. However, some provisional information that covers contracts is available. A contract may be for more than one dentist and cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level. Provisional management estimates show that in Easington PCT.
	
		
			  Contracts signed  
			 Number 10 
			 Approximate units of dental activity (UDA) value 148,452 
			   
			  Contracts still in discussion  
			 Number 0 
			 Approximate UDA value 0 
			   
			  Contracts rejected  
			 Number 0 
			 Approximate UDA value 0 
			 Percentage of UDAs 0.0 
			   
			  Contracts signed  
			 Number signed without dispute 5 
			 Number signed in dispute 5 
			 Percentage of disputes 50.0 
			  Notes: 1. The information provided is not validated. 2. It represents a snapshot of the position in early April. 3. PCTs are working with dentists to resolve as many disputes as possible locally.

Dentistry

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign nationals married to an EEA or Swiss national have applied for full registration as dentists in the UK since 2004.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held by the Department. The General Dental Council is responsible for the registration of dentists who wish to practice in the United Kingdom.

Dentistry

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why different rules apply to the spouses of EEA/Swiss nationals applying for full registration as dentists in the UK from those that apply to spouses of UK citizens.

Rosie Winterton: The General Dental Council, which is responsible for the registration of dentists practising in the United Kingdom, is bound by the provisions of European Union (EU) sectoral directive on dentistry, which governs recognition of dental qualifications. As with the directives relating to other professions, the intention is to facilitate the movement of professionals within Europe. Where an EU national and his or her spouse (who is not originally from the EEA) move between member states, the directive provides for an assessment as to whether the spouse's professional qualifications can be considered equivalent to a European qualification. EU law does not, however, allow such an assessment if they remain in the country in which they normally reside. A non-EEA national can still obtain full registration in the UK through the General Dental Council's international qualifying examination.

Dentistry

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) children and  (b) adults are registered with an NHS dentist in (i) Kingston and Surbiton, (ii) South West London and (iii) London.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the estimated percentage of children and adults registered with a national health service dentist in the specified areas as at 31 March 2006.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Adults  Child  Total 
			 England 46 60 49 
			 London 40 50 42 
			  South West London
			 Strategic Health Authority 35 52 39 
			  Of which:
			 Kingston Primary Care Trust 31 59 37 
		
	
	Patient registration was part of the remuneration arrangements under the former system of general dental services up to 31 March 2006. Under the new system, the concept of registration no longer forms part of the remuneration system. The Department is therefore introducing a comparable means of monitoring the number of patients covered by NHS dental services, but the transition to the new arrangements has meant that it will be some months before the new measure is available.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has  (a) initiated and  (b) evaluated on the reasons for the change in the level of (i) NHS denture work, (ii) NHS chrome work, (iii) NHS bonded chrome work, (iv) NHS veneer work and (v) NHS non-precious metal crown work since the implementation of the new dental contracts; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect routine information on the quantity or type of dental appliances supplied but will be assessing, in conjunction with the implementation review group, the impact of the new contractual arrangements on this and other aspects of the services provided to national health service patients. It is for individual dentists working under general dental services contracts or personal dental services agreements to use their clinical judgement to determine the type and quality of any dental appliance required.

Dentistry

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists have had their superannuation contributions  (a) discontinued and  (b) curtailed by their primary care trust in (i) England and (ii) Enfield since 31 March 2006.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are not involved in calculating the superannuation contributions of dentists. Dental providers give details of superannuable pay for each of their dental performers to PCTs and the PCT then enters the relevant details onto the NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) payment systems. The BSA then deducts the superannuation amounts from the monthly payments to dental providers.

DXA Scanners

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to provide revenue support for the introduction of new DXA scanning machines purchased with the fund allocated from the centrally held revenue budget;
	(2)  whether the budget allocated for the purchase of new DXA scanners is  (a) available for capital expenditure only and  (b) a ring-fenced fund;
	(3)  which strategic health authorities  (a) have received and  (b) will receive funding from the fund allocated from the centrally held revenue budget for the purchase of new DXA scanners;
	(4)  what proportion of the budget allocated for the purchase of new DXA scanners in 2006-07 and 2007-08 has been spent.

Andy Burnham: The Department allocated £3 million revenue (£214,000 each), on a non-recurrent basis in 2005-06, to 14 strategic health authorities (SHAs). Analyses by the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) in 2005 identified these SHAs, as listed as follows, as having the least available dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning capacity. The funding was allocated for the purchase of DXA scans, rather than DXA scanning equipment. Scans were mainly to be purchased from independent sector (IS) providers, but also from national health service providers where this represented better value for money. Expenditure against these allocations has not been monitored centrally, but it will be subject to audit.
	Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
	Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
	Birmingham and the Black Country
	Cheshire and Merseyside
	Cumbria and Lancashire
	Greater Manchester
	Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
	Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland
	Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire
	South West Peninsula
	Surrey and Sussex
	Thames Valley
	West Midlands South
	West Yorkshire
	Capital funding of £17 million has been made available in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to improve NHS capacity through investment in new DXA scanning equipment. This additional funding was mainly included in the overall strategic capital allocation to SHAs and is not ring-fenced. The Department does not monitor how SHAs' strategic capital is spent.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) were informed of their revenue allocations up to 2007-08 on 9 February 2005. The 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations represent a £135 billion investment in the NHS, £64 billion to PCTs in 2006-07 and £70 billion in 2007-08. The Department has no plans to make additional recurrent funding available to PCTs to cover the running costs of DXA scanners.

Gender Dysphoria

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1220W, on gender dysphoria, what the locations are of centres providing gender reassignment surgery that have treated NHS patients.

Rosie Winterton: In survey of specialised services commissioners conducted in October 2004, the following national health service trusts and private units provided gender dysphoria surgery:
	 Male to female:
	Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust (Charing Cross Hospital);
	Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust;
	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (Leicester General Infirmary);
	The Hove Nuffield; and
	The Sussex Nuffield;
	 Female to male:
	University College London Hospitals NHS Trust; and
	The Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth.

Health Expenditure

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the amount spent on the NHS  (a) in the UK and  (b) in Gloucestershire was in each year since 1978.

Andy Burnham: The table shows total England net expenditure over the time frame requested and also a shorter time series of information for Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority (SHA) area, now part of the South West SHA. Data for 1998-99 to 2004-05, are the earliest and latest years for which information is available.
	Information for other countries in the United Kingdom can be obtained from the relevant devolved administrations.
	It is not possible to provide data for Gloucestershire as this does not correspond to any current specific health body area. Information in the table relates to revenue expenditure by all relevant health authorities, SHAs and primary care trusts (PCTs) within the current Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA area.
	
		
			  Net expenditure time series 
			  £ million 
			Net NHS expenditure( 1)  Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 
			  Cash( 2)
			 1978-79 Outturn 6,273 — 
			 1979-80 Outturn 7,447 — 
			 1980-81 Outturn 9,700 — 
			 1981-82 Outturn 10,854 — 
			 1982-83 Outturn 11,819 — 
			 1983-84 Outturn 12,494 — 
			 1984-85 Outturn 13,407 — 
			 1985-86 Outturn 14,176 — 
			 1986-87 Outturn 15,173 — 
			 1987-88 Outturn 16,668 — 
			 1988-89 Outturn 18,420 — 
			 1989-90 Outturn 19,855 — 
			 1990-91 Outturn 22,326 — 
			 1991-92 Outturn 25,353 — 
			 1992-93 Outturn 27,968 — 
			 1993-94 Outturn 28,942 — 
			 1994-95 Outturn 30,590 — 
			 1995-96 Outturn 31,985 — 
			 1996-97 Outturn 32,997 — 
			 1997-98 Outturn 34,664 — 
			 1998-99 Outturn 36,608 1,302 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 39,881 1,514 
			 
			  Resource budgeting stage 1( 3)— 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 40,201 — 
			 2000-01 Outturn 43,932 1,669 
			 2001-02 Outturn 49,021 1,844 
			 2002-03 Outturn 54,042 2,022 
			 
			  Resource budgeting stage 2( 4,5,6)— 
			 2003-04 Outturn 64,183 2,291 
			 2004-05 Outturn 69,306 2,539 
			 2005-06 Estimated outturn 77,847 — 
			  England expenditure data series: (1) Figures are not consistent over the period (1971-72 to 2007-08). Therefore, it is difficult to make comparisons across different periods. (2) Expenditure pre 1999-2000 is on a cash basis. (3) Expenditure figures from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 are on a stage 1 resource budgeting basis. (4) Expenditure figures from 2003-04 to 2007-08 are on a stage 2 resource budgeting basis. (5) The resource budgeting stage 2 expenditure figures shown for 2004-05 to 2007-08 are consistent with table 3.4 of the 2006 departmental report. (6) A retrospective adjustment for an underspend on NHSLA provisions of £1.497 billion in 2004-05 affects growth rates for the periods 2003-04 to 2004-05 and 2004-05 to 2005-06.  Notes on Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire expenditure data series: 1. Expenditure figures given are not the total NHS expenditure in the area. 2. Figures for 1998-99 to 2001-02 have been prepared using gross expenditure figures. Figures for 2002-03 and 2003-04 have been adjusted to eliminate expenditure which would be double counted where an authority acts as a lead in commissioning healthcare or other services. 3. Expenditure by SHA area is taken as the total expenditure of the SHA, predecessor health authorities and PCTs within the SHA area. 4. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and prescription pricing division of the NHS Business Services Authority (formerly known as the Prescription Pricing Authority), respectively, are excluded. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts.  Sources: 1. Audited accounts of relevant health authorities 1998-99. 2. Audited summarisation forms of relevant health authorities 1999-2000 to 2001-02. 3. Audited summarisation schedules of relevant primary care trusts 2000-01 to 2004-05. 4. Audited summarisation forms of Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 2002-03 to 2004-05.

Influenza Pandemic

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 29 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 16-17WS, on the informal meeting of EU health ministers, what the content was of the discussion on the development of an EU-wide stockpile of antivirals for use in the event of an influenza pandemic; what size she expects such an EU-wide stockpile to be; whether the UK would be expected to contribute to the EU-wide stockpile from its own stockpile of antivirals; for what purpose an EU-wide stockpile of antivirals would be used; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: At the informal meeting of European Union (EU) Health Ministers on 25-26 April, the presidency sought a consensus from member states on the principle of whether to establish an EU stockpile of antiviral drugs. No agreement was reached and the United Kingdom, supported by a number of other member states, emphasised that there was insufficient information on practical issues to demonstrate whether a stockpile could work in practice, and hence be effective.
	The purpose of the proposed stockpile would be to try to slow the spread of a pandemic in Europe. The size of the proposed EU-wide stockpile is three million treatment courses. The UK's national level stockpile of 14.6 million treatment courses covering 25 per cent. of its population will be complete by September 2006. We currently plan to maintain it at this level.

Influenza Pandemic

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated of on the efficacy of stockpiling gloves and face masks for use in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza.

Rosie Winterton: We have recommended the use of face masks for health care professionals who would be working closely with infected patients. This is detailed in the national health service infection control guidance which is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/pandemicflu This guidance is evidence-based and sets out how protective clothing, including gloves, should be used to minimise the risk of NHS staff acquiring pandemic influenza while caring for symptomatic patients. Gloves are not required for routine care of patients with pandemic flu.
	The chief medical officer commissioned the Health Protection Agency to review the scientific evidence for the use of face masks by the public during an influenza pandemic. This review did not find any clear evidence that such a policy would be of benefit. However, as with all policies relating to pandemic influenza, the evidence is regularly reviewed.
	Infection control guidance for the workplace is available on the Health and Safety Executive website at www.hse.gov.uk

Low-life Expectancy

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to tackle low life expectancy in areas of deprivation.

Caroline Flint: Life expectancy is improving across England for all but is currently improving more slowly in the spearhead areas with the worst deprivation. Some spearhead areas are on track to meet the 2010 health inequalities target and we are working to ensure this best practice is spread not only to enable more people to live longer but narrow the health inequalities gap too.

Mental Health

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the recent changes in the levels of services in mental and community health services in Northamptonshire.

Rosie Winterton: The assessment of recent changes in the levels of services in mental and community health services in Northamptonshire is the responsibility of the NHS East Midlands strategic health authority (SHA).
	It is for SHAs in conjunction with primary care trusts and other local stakeholders to plan and develop services to meet the needs of their local populations.

Mental Health

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department is taking to improve the safety of women patients in NHS mental health accommodation.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has already introduced a number of policy initiatives which will improve the safety of women patients in mental health accommodation, including: single sex accommodation guidance in 2000; a national suicide prevention strategy in 2002; psychiatric inpatient care best practice guidance in 2002; mainstreaming women's mental health guidance in 2003; and management of violence guidance in 2004 to make in-patient services safer, including clear guidance on single sex accommodation to which national health service trusts are expected to adhere. This allows for men and women within the same unit, providing that there are separate sleeping areas, separate bathrooms and appropriate operational policies and procedures in place to ensure each patient's safety.
	The Department's statistical note of May 2005, "Elimination of mixed-sex hospital accommodation", shows that 99 per cent. of mental health trusts and primary care trusts which provide mental health services meet these single-sex accommodation objectives. We are working closely with the remaining trusts to ensure that they achieve the necessary standards as quickly as possible. This is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/21/41/04112141.pdf
	In 2005, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidelines on the management of violence in inpatient settings. Revised guidance on the management of aggression and violence is due to be published in September 2006 by the Care Service Improvement Partnership (CSIP), and this will also address issues of sexual safety.
	The Healthcare Commission will include safety and the physical environment in their improvement review on acute inpatient care, commencing in autumn 2006 and reporting in 2007. The Healthcare Commission will also include sexual safety in its review of inpatient mental health services due to be carried out in spring 2007.
	In addition, the Department will participate in national programmes which will build on existing initiatives of protecting vulnerable patients in mental health services with CSIP, the National Patient Safety Agency, and other agencies to ensure that reporting and appropriate investigation of all such incidents occurs. For example, CSIP together with the current joint Home Office/Department programme on domestic and sexual violence will discuss with mental health trusts what type of guidance is most needed to help support this.

Mental Health

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available in secure mental health wards in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The average daily number of available beds for adults, excluding the elderly, in secure mental illness and in secure learning disability wards for each year from 1996-97 is shown in the table. Figures for 2005-06 are not yet available:
	
		
			   Available beds in secure mental illness wards (daily average)  Available beds in secure learning disability wards (daily average)  Available beds (both types) 
			 1996-97 1,575 423 1,998 
			 1997-98 1,921 439 2,360 
			 1998-99 1,747 422 2,169 
			 1999-2000 1,882 404 2,286 
			 2000-01 1,952 431 2,383 
			 2001-02 1,848 407 2,255 
			 2002-03 2,064 508 2,572 
			 2003-04 2,569 514 3,083 
			 2004-05 2,696 503 3,199 
			  Source: Department of Health form KH03

Mental Health

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for mental health services for Northamptonshire  (a) was in 2005-06 and  (b) is in 2006-07.

Rosie Winterton: Information on budgets for mental health services for Northamptonshire for 2005-06 and 2006-07 is not held centrally.
	Planned investment in mental health per head of weighted working age population in the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland strategic health authority (SHA) area for 2005-06 is provided in the table.
	
		
			   Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland( 1)  SHA 
			 Weighted population 902,914 
			 Total investment (£000) 134,663 
			 Overall investment per head (£) 149 
			 (1) This SHA merged with Trent SHA to become the East Midlands SHA effective from 3 July.  Source:  2005-06 National Survey of Investment in Mental Health Services. It is for primary care trusts to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations.

Midwives

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to implement the Independent Midwives NHS Community Midwifery Model in all parts of the country;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with midwives' representatives in relation to the Independent Midwives NHS Community Midwifery Model.

Ivan Lewis: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and other local stakeholders to determine which models best suit the local needs of women and the midwifery workforce. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of maternity services.
	Ministers and officials met with the Independent Midwives Association (IMA) in August 2005 and again in March 2006 to discuss their proposal of a national health service community midwifery model. The IMA was asked by Liam Byrne, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Care Services, to identify a PCT and SHA, together with a group of midwives, who would be willing to test the model and help to create an outline contract. That process is continuing.

Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust has to sell the site occupied by the Fraser Day hospital in Newport Pagnell.

Andy Burnham: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.

Multiple Sclerosis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) males and  (b) females are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, broken down by age; what medication is available to those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not collected.
	Under the MS risk-sharing scheme, a joint venture between the Department and drug manufacturers, beta interferon and glatiramer acetate are available to patients who meet the criteria of the Association of British Neurologists, including those with secondary progressive MS. In addition, all patients living with multiple sclerosis have access to a wide range of medications to help manage the symptoms associated with this disease. These include drugs for the relief of pain, depression, spasticity and bladder problems.

NHS Direct

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1050W, on NHS Direct, what steps she is taking to measure the net value of NHS Direct to the national health service.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 10 March 2006
	Regular performance review meetings are held between the Department and NHS Direct. This review includes indicators in relation to the percentage of urgent and emergency referrals and the percentage of calls completed by NHS Direct without onward referral.
	NHS Direct applies consistent methods to assess the clinical needs of people contacting them across the country. According to that assessment they give advice on self care, provide access to a nurse or, where appropriate, advice on seeing a doctor, or other part of the national health service. This ensures that people are able to access health services appropriately.
	NHS Direct provides a 24-hour service, 365 days a year, that is shown in monthly patient satisfaction surveys to be highly valued by people seeking advice on health and health care.
	The service is available through a variety of channels—by telephone, through the internet or through television sets in the comfort of one's own home. NHS Direct also provides medical and dental out of hours services for a number of primary care trusts and is developing a number of services to support and complement other NHS organisations, including pilot work to proactively support patients with long-term conditions, as well as pre-operative screening and post-operative follow up services. Its work to support people in their homes is an important contribution to the changes in services needed to meet people's needs as set out in the White paper, "Our health, our care, our say, a new direction for community services".

NHS Finance

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria will apply to the use of capital money for the NHS; and whether capital receipts for the sale of closed community hospitals will be able to be reused in new community facilities.

Andy Burnham: The Department's capital investment plans are set out in chapter 4 of the 'Departmental Report 2006' published in May of this year.
	National health service trusts and primary care trusts may retain the proceeds of disposals for reinvestment up to their delegated limits. The sums above this limit go back to the strategic health authority for local prioritisation and it would be unusual for them not to be reinvested in the locality.
	As long as the sale proceeds are used for capital investment, such as investment in buildings and equipment, it is for local managers to decide what types of facility are bought and this could include investment in a new community hospital.
	The Government have recently announced a central capital fund of £750 million to invest in community hospitals projects and the criteria that will apply to this money are set out in the recently published document 'Our health, our care, our community' and are available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk

NHS Performance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 264, on NHS performance, 
	(1)  what the financial impact was of the  (a) social and economic deprivation,  (b) proportion of elderly people living in the community and  (c) demands of a rural economy element of the funding formula on each primary care trust in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07;
	(2)  what other elements in addition to those mentioned are contained in the funding formula for local health trusts; and how these are weighted within the formula in respect of their potential proportionate impact on local health trust budgets;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the potential  (a) financial impact and  (b) proportionate overall funding impact on the average primary care trust (PCT) of (i) the demand of a rural economy, (ii) the proportion of elderly people living within the community, (iii) social and economic deprivation, (iv) the market forces factor and (v) all other elements which create variability of funding for PCTs and health trusts;
	(4)  what financial impact  (a) the demands of a rural economy,  (b) the proportion of elderly people living within the community,  (c) social and economic deprivation and  (d) the market forces factor have on the available budget for each of the three Cornish primary care trusts.

Andy Burnham: Funding for primary care trusts (PCTs) is informed by a weighted capitation formula which determines their target shares of available resources to enable them to commission similar levels of healthcare for populations with similar healthcare need.
	Four elements are used to set PCTs' actual allocations:
	weighted capitation targets which are set according to the national weighted capitation formula which calculates PCTs' target shares of available resources by adjusting PCT populations for age (to allow for different levels of health need in different age groups), additional need (highly correlated to social and economic deprivation) and unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing healthcare (the market forces factor (MFF));
	recurrent baselines which represent the actual current allocation which PCTs receive. For each allocation year the recurrent baseline is the previous year's actual allocation, plus any adjustments made within the financial year;
	distance from target (DFT) which is the difference between weighted capitation targets and recurrent baselines above. If the weighted capitation targets are greater than recurrent baselines, a PCT is said to be under target. If the weighted capitation targets are smaller than recurrent baselines, a PCT is said to be over target; and
	pace of change policy which determines the level of increase which all PCTs get to deliver on national and local priorities and the level of extra resources to under target PCTs to move them closer to their weighted capitation targets.
	Because there are four elements to PCT allocations, it is not possible to state the financial impact of each adjustment in the formula.
	There are separate components in the formula for different services: hospital and community health services (HCHS), primary medical services, prescribing and HIV/AIDS. Within each component, each adjustment for age, additional need and unavoidable costs is expressed as an index comparing the PCT score on the adjustment to the national average. These indices are listed in "2003-04 to 2005-06 Primary Care Trust Revenue Resource Limits Exposition Book" and "2006-07 and 2007-08 Primary Care Trust Initial Revenue Resource Limits Exposition Book" which are available in the Library.
	The demands of a rural economy are reflected in both the additional need and unavoidable cost adjustments. The additional need adjustment recognises that access to services is more difficult in rural areas by including measures of distance to providers in the statistical modelling. The unavoidable cost adjustment includes an adjustment for emergency ambulance services where geographical cost differences are partly accounted for by rurality.
	A full explanation of the elements in the weighted capitation formula and their weights is provided in "Resource Allocation Weighted Capitation Formula Fifth Edition" which is available in the Library.

PCTs (Debt Cancellation)

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial arrangements were which enabled the Ellesmere West and the Ellesmere Port and Neston primary care trusts to cancel their historic debts; whether the arrangements were approved by Ministers; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 July 2006
	As part of its 2006-07 financial management strategy, Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority (SHA) agreed to use the SHA reserve to absorb £15 million of Cheshire West primary care trust (PCT) carry-forward of overspending from previous years and £6 million of Ellesmere Port and Neston PCTs carry-forward of overspending from previous years.
	SHAs are responsible for delivering overall financial balance for their local health communities, and ensuring each and every body achieves financial balance.

People Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training is available for social workers to help them identify and detect victims of trafficking.

Ivan Lewis: It is the responsibility of the General Social Care Council, the regulatory body for social workers, to approve the courses for pre-registration and post-qualification training in social work.
	It is the responsibility of social care service providers to ensure that their employees are suitably qualified and competent to carry out their role.

Rural Health Services

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she assesses the needs of the rural population in making funding allocations within the NHS.

Andy Burnham: Revenue allocations are made to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. A weighted-capitation formula is used to determine each PCT's target share of available resources. In calculating relative health needs, the formula includes an adjustment related to the age of the population, as well as an additional need adjustment that is related to the level of deprivation. In addition, the formula takes account of the difficulties of accessing services in rural areas.
	The development of the weighted-capitation formula is continuously overseen by the advisory committee on resource allocation (ACRA). This is an independent body, which has national health service management, general practitioner and academic members. The ACRA work programme post 2007-08 includes further consideration of rurality issues.

Speech and Language Therapy

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the delivery of speech and language therapy services in County Durham.

Rosie Winterton: Speech and language therapy services in Durham cover a full range of adult and children's services.
	Durham and Chester-le-Street primary care trust (PCT) provides services for North Durham, serving the populations of Durham, Chester-le-Street and also the populations of Derwentside PCT. The adult service is both acute and community-based, and the children's service is focused in the community.
	South Durham is serviced by Sedgefield PCT serving the populations of Sedgefield, Durham and Dales PCT and Darlington PCT. The Department uses a predominantly consultative model of delivery. Services may be face-to-face, within groups, telephone contact and training sessions.

Therapists (Norfolk)

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to provide therapists in Norfolk to provide psychological therapies for depression.

Andy Burnham: We consider that improvements in access to evidence-based psychological therapies should be available, and this policy was set out in our 2005 manifesto and in the "Our Health, our care, our say" White Paper. Clinical guidelines about access to psychological therapies were also commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which concluded that these treatments should be made available to all people with mild to moderate depression or anxiety or schizophrenia.
	Our "Improving Access to Psychological Therapies" (IAPT) programme forms a key part of the Government's "Health, Work and Well-Being-Caring for Our Future" strategy, which the Department launched last October with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Health and Safety Commission. The IAPT programme will define the best way to achieve these improvements over the next five to 10 years.
	We have recently set up psychological therapy demonstration sites in Doncaster and Newham, to help test the extent to which increasing access to these therapies improves well-being, reduces worklessness and the number of people claiming incapacity benefit and provides greater choices in treatment and core options for people with these conditions. The demonstration sites will help to clarify the numbers of staff, the skills set and the training requirements needed to improve access to psychological therapies. Evidence from the demonstration sites will be supplemented by a national network of smaller, local IAPT projects and 20 national primary care mental health collaborative sites.
	We have provided resources for delivering mental health services, including psychological therapies, within the unified allocations made directly to primary care trusts (PCTs). It is for PCTs in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to decide how best to use their resources to deliver services in line with their assessment of local need.

Waiting Lists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1238W, on waiting lists, whether her Department holds information on how the average waiting time in 1979 of nine months, as stated by the then Secretary of State for Health in her answer of 3 December 1996,  Official Report, column 784, on NHS operations, was calculated.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not hold details of the average waiting time quoted in the reference given. Official figures on average waiting times are only available from 1988.

Wheelchairs (Waiting Times)

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for an NHS wheelchair in  (a) Eastbourne,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) England in 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

William Kerr/Michael Haslam

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish the response to the recommendations of the inquiry into the conduct of William Kerr and Michael Haslam published in July 2005.

Andy Burnham: There are many similarities between the issues raised by the Kerr/Haslam inquiry and those of the Ayling and Neale inquiries and the fifth report of the Shipman inquiry. We are therefore intending to publish a joint response to all four reports. This will be issued as soon as possible after the close of the consultation on the reviews of medical regulation and non-medical regulation which we published last week and which contain important recommendations relevant to the issues raised by the four inquiries. In the meanwhile, we are progressing some of the specific recommendations from the Kerr/Haslam inquiry where these are not directly affected by the consultation.

TRANSPORT

A13 (Speed Cameras)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras are situated on the A13 between the A405 and the M25; and what plans there are to install new speed cameras in the next two years.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department only holds information on a road number or partnership basis rather than for specific lengths of road. More detailed information will be available from individual partnership websites, links to which can be found via our website at www.dft.gov.uk/safetycameras. The Department is not aware of any current plans for new speed cameras on the A13 in the next two years.

Road Improvements (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations were involved in the preparation of the draft orders for the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency has consulted widely, which is normal practice, with local highway authorities, statutory bodies and stakeholders and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

Road Improvements (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to publish the draft orders for the proposed A21 upgrade; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency will publish draft orders on behalf of the Secretary of State in accordance with the individual scheme programmes, in line with our response on 6 July to the advice from the South East region about its major scheme priorities to 2011. We have accepted the region's advice to include the A21 Tonbridge Bypass to Pembury Dualling, the A21 Kippings Cross to Lamberhurst Bypass and the A21 Baldslow Junction Improvement within the programme of schemes that we expect to be taken forward in the South East in the next five years, subject to the completion of all the statutory procedures, funding available and compliance with the Department's scheme appraisal requirements.

Road Improvements (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role the South East England Development Agency has played in preparing draft orders for the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: At this stage work has not yet started on preparing draft orders. South East England Development Agency will be consulted alongside other statutory bodies and stakeholders in due course.

Road Improvements (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Highways Agency has to issue compulsory purchase orders for houses along the route of the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency will publish draft compulsory purchase orders on behalf of the Secretary of State in accordance with the individual scheme requirements and programmes.

Road Improvements (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the draft orders relating to the proposed Hastings to Bexhill link road; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Bexhill to Hastings link road is being promoted by East Sussex county council, who are the local highway authority. It is, therefore for the council to determine when to publish the draft orders for the scheme.

A3 (Hindhead)

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the report of the inspector on the proposed work on the A3 at Hindhead.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt) on 17 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1-2W.

Agency Staff

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what average hourly rate was paid by his Department to each employment agency for staff employed through agencies in 2005-06.

Gillian Merron: DfT(c) have a call off contract with Adecco, Brook Street and Reed, who are contracted to provide temporary agency staff when required. This contract is also used by the Department's Executive agencies. The hourly rates for each agency are commercially sensitive information, therefore the average hourly rates incorporating the three agencies above are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			  London rates  
			 AA 9.92 
			 DS 12.50 
			 AO 10.80 
			 PS 13.84 
			 SPS 15.56 
			 EO 12.30 
			 HEO 16.05 
			 SEO 18.91 
			   
			  Regional rates  
			 AA 8.25 
			 DS 10.31 
			 AO 9.23 
			 PS 11.54 
			 SPS 12.80 
			 EO 10.91 
			 HEO 12.82 
			 SEO 14.45 
		
	
	In addition, some of the Department's Executive agencies also use other agencies to provide temporary staff. The average hourly rates are as follows:
	Driving Standards Agency —no set rates with other agencies used. No average available.
	Highways Agency—Average hourly rate of other agencies—£13.19
	
		
			  VOSA 
			   £ 
			 AA 7.80-9.66 
			 AO 8.51-10.42 
			 EO 12.06-12.32 
			 HEO 15.43 
			 SEO 18.41 
		
	
	GCDA—Average hourly rate of other agencies—£10.88
	DVLA—No information available
	The use of temporary staff is something that the Department only considers to cover a short term temporary period such as covering leave or while a permanent resource is found. The Department actively manage their headcount and will consider any displaced staff for temporary roles prior to obtaining a temporary agency worker.

Aircraft Carbon Emissions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many commercial flights departed from UK airports to destinations a distance away of  (a) 500 miles or less,  (b) 1,000 miles or less,  (c) 1,500 miles or less and  (d) in intervals of 500 miles up to 10,000 miles in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how many passengers departed from UK airports to such destinations in each case.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not hold the information but it is available from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Contact details for information at CAA may be found at www.caa.co.uk.

Airport Expansion

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Government's plans for airport expansion in Southern England.

Gillian Merron: I refer to my reply on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1697W to the hon. Member for Croydon South (Richard Ottaway).

Buses

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus compliance officers are available to monitor bus punctuality in  (a) England and  (b) the North West region; how bus punctuality is measured; and how many bus operators were found not to be running their services punctually in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06.

Gillian Merron: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 15 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1325-6W, to my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley (Graham Stringer), regarding the number of bus compliance officers available in Great Britain. A full account of the measurements for bus punctuality is published in the Traffic Commissioners Practice Direction No.4 which is available on-line via: www.dft.gov.uk.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 6 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1267W, regarding the number of operators called to public inquiry and the number of orders issued to restrict operations.
	To provide a detailed answer regarding bus operators found not to be operating punctually can only be done at disproportionate cost as the data are not held centrally.

Buses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to encourage the use of public transport by bus in Coventry, South.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 12 July 2006
	Within the context of delivering our long-term strategy for improving bus services across the country, the most recent steps taken by the Government include:
	Providing local authorities in England with the resources to support their Local Transport Plan strategies, a large part of which are related to improving bus-related infrastructure (some £571 million invested by local authorities between 2001-02 and 2004-05 in bus improvements);
	The introduction of free local concessionary fares for older and disabled people from April 2006, and the announcement of free national concessionary fares from April 2008;
	Up to £200 million per year of the Transport Innovation Fund (from 2008-09) has been made available specifically to support packages of measures that will address congestion in towns and cities through demand management and public transport improvements, including better bus services;
	Allocating £20 million to fund 43 kick-start schemes to pump-prime promising local bus services;
	£54 million available for 2006-07 to support rural bus services.
	Providing capital funding for major bus schemes, such as the £42 million contribution towards the Greater Bristol Bus Network scheme.
	Over the coming months we will be looking at the success of these and other initiatives, with a view to developing future plans to encourage bus use.

Buses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has undertaken on the  (a) number and  (b) length of bus routes serving general hospitals in each local authority which draw down a budget for concessionary fares.

Gillian Merron: None. From 1 April 2006, older and disabled people have been entitled to free off-peak travel within their local authority area. We are introducing a national scheme in April 2008 which will allow older and disabled people free off-peak bus travel anywhere in the country. In the interim, local authorities have the discretion to offer travel concessions to a hospital outside their boundary, based on their judgement of local needs and circumstances and their overall financial priorities.

Buses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus passengers there were in each local authority administering concessionary fares  (a) in the last year for which figures are available and  (b) (i) five and (ii) 10 years previously; how many bus routes there were in each such local authority; and what the total mileage of routes was in each authority.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not hold this information which could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Buses

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age is of buses in service in each region.

Gillian Merron: The information, for the first quarter of 2006, is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Region/country  Age of fleet (years) 
			 North East 8.1 
			 North West 7.6 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 8.2 
			 East Midlands 8.0 
			 West Midlands 7.9 
			 East of England 9.0 
			 Greater London 5.3 
			 South East 7.2 
			 South West 9.0 
			 England 7.7 
			 Scotland 8.0 
			 Wales 9.8 
			 Great Britain 7.8 
			  Note:  This table shows the age of buses by their region of registration, which may not be the same as their main area of operation.  Source: DVLA

Buses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he issues to local authorities on checking compliance by bus companies with the arrangements for concessionary fares.

Gillian Merron: None. The Transport Act 2000 places a duty on bus operators to offer the statutory minimum entitlement; it is an offence if they fail to comply with that obligation. It is for Travel Concession Authorities to decide on how best to check compliance based on local circumstances and to take any necessary action.

Buses

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of free bus travel on the existing arrangements for bus travel between  (a) Skelmersdale and Liverpool,  (b) Ormskirk and Wigan and  (c) Skelmersdale and Southport.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not yet have full details of the discretionary enhancements that will be offered by local authorities. We will be carrying out a comprehensive survey of concessionary fares schemes shortly.

Buses

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement on the outcome of the Greater Bristol Bus Network bid for new Showcase Bus routes submitted in July 2005.

Gillian Merron: On 6 July 2006 the Greater Bristol Bus Network Scheme was awarded Programme Entry into the Department's local authority major scheme programme, allowing the scheme to progress through statutory procedures.

Buses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subsidies were granted to rural bus operators in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The majority of subsidies for local bus services, including those in rural areas, are provided through unhypothecated funding from the Government's Revenue Support Grant (RSG) to local authorities.
	The Department has separately provided specific funding for rural bus services to local authorities in England through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) since 1998, and the Rural Bus Challenge (RBC) between 1998 and 2003.
	The amounts provided in RBSG allocations and RBC awards are shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   RBSG  RBC 
			 1998-99 32.50 11.2 
			 1999-00 32.50 16.8 
			 2000-01 32.50 21.2 
			 2001-02 41.50 20.5 
			 2002-03 47.50 20.0 
			 2003-04 48.50 20.3 
			 2004-05 51.00 n/a 
			 2005-06 53.00 n/a

Buses

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what criteria are taken into account when decisions are made on the suitability of local authorities for yellow bus pilot schemes;
	(2)  whether the Government plan to extend the yellow bus schemes  (a) to more pilot areas and  (b) to the whole of England.

Gillian Merron: There are no plans to extend yellow bus schemes to more pilot areas or to the whole of England. Individual local authorities and passenger transport executives are encouraged to consider these and other dedicated school bus schemes as part of broader local transport planning and decide if they would be appropriate to their area.
	The Education and Inspections Bill includes provisions to improve home to school transport, including enabling a small number of local authorities to propose Pathfinder schemes to pilot innovative approaches to home to school transport which would focus on better school bus provision for more pupils and which could include trialling yellow bus schemes.
	DfES has policy responsibility for home to school transport and has published the 'School Travel Pathfinder Draft Prospectus and Guidance' alongside the Education and Inspections Bill. This includes details of the criteria that the Secretary of State for Education and Skills will apply in deciding which schemes to approve (http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=9800).

Correspondence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the preliminary assessment letter he sent to the Prime Minister following his appointment as Secretary of State.

Douglas Alexander: Copies have today been placed in the Libraries of the House and published on the departmental website at www.dft.gov.uk.

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the unnumbered command papers produced by his Department in each session since 1976; say how  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memorandums to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the Numbered Command Papers series.
	The Department for Transport was formed on 31 May 2002; since then some 277 unnumbered Command Papers have been laid.
	Copies of all unnumbered Command Papers are made available via the Vote Office.

Departmental Staff

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disabled staff in his Department received support through the Access to Work scheme  (a) in each of the last five years and  (b) in 2006-07.

Gillian Merron: The Department has used the Access to Work scheme particularly in our larger agencies. Records of the support provided via the service are either not centrally recorded or incomplete. As it is for the individual to apply for help via the scheme, the employer will not always be aware that support has been provided.

Digital Tachographs

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is taking steps to exempt coach companies organising tours lasting more than one week from the rule that requires drivers to have one day off in seven; what representations have been made to him by trade unions about the rule; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: A new, directly applicable EU Regulation on drivers' hours has recently been adopted by the EU institutions—it was published in the Official Journal in April 2006 and will, for the most part, come into force in April 2007.
	During negotiation of this new EU Regulation, consideration was given to retaining the provision in the existing EU Regulation which allows coach drivers on non-regular journeys—such as excursions, tours and private hire—to postpone their weekly rest period until the end of the twelfth day. Following strong opposition to this on road safety grounds, it was not included.
	The Department carried out an extensive public consultation exercise prior to adoption of this new EU Regulation. The trade unions were invited to contribute, and did not support the retention of this particular provision.

Driving Test Centres

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where each driving centre test site is located; and how many of each type of test were taken at each site in 2005-06.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Environmental Standards

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department  (a) is committed to the achievement of environmental management to ISO 14001 standard and  (b) has been externally certified as in compliance with that standard; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: On 12 June the Government launched new targets for sustainable operations on the Government estate, which included a requirement for all Departments to have Environmental Management Systems based upon or modelled upon a recognised system. The Department for Transport is committed to achieving this target.

Harbours Bill

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent assessment is of the merits of the Harbours Bill.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 March 2006,  Official Report, column 853W.

Insurance (Foreign Drivers)

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure foreign drivers of foreign registered vehicles are adequately insured when driving in the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: European law requires all vehicles registered in a member state to have insurance for the use of that vehicle in any other member state.
	The police have full power to stop and check any foreign vehicle to ensure the driver has appropriate insurance cover.

Local Authorities (Transport Funding)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities have had transport funding withheld by his Department since his Department's press release of 28 July 2004 announcing the withholding of funds to Thurrock, East Sussex, Plymouth and Southend-on-Sea; what the reason was in each case; and when the withheld money was paid in each case.

Gillian Merron: Funds were withheld in late 2003 from Thurrock, East Sussex, Plymouth and Southend-on-Sea because they had reported poor programme delivery in the previous year. The authorities were given the opportunity to take action to improve their performance during the early part of 2004 and in all cases took sufficient steps to convince the Department to provide the funds later.
	The press release of 28 July 2004 announced that the funds previously withheld from Thurrock, East Sussex, Plymouth and Southend-on-Sea would be released. This funding was released as part of the local government financial settlement for 2005-06 announced in late 2004.
	No authorities have had local transport capital funding similarly withheld since July 2004.

M42

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the equipment required to introduce hard shoulder running on the M42 is already installed.

Stephen Ladyman: I am reviewing the proposed start date of hard shoulder running in light of the good progress being made towards its introduction.

M6 Widening

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work on the widening of the M6 motorway between Birmingham and Warrington  (a) to begin and  (b) to be completed.

Stephen Ladyman: Today I announced that I have instructed the Highways Agency to progress plans for the online widening of the M6 from junction 11a to 19, and to no longer pursue the Expressway alternative. They will now continue to work on the design and delivery of the scheme. Early indicative dates suggest that the first phase of the works could commence in 2012 and open in 2014 with the whole scheme being completed around 2017. This is of course subject to the availability of funding, the satisfactory completion of the detailed design process and the normal statutory procedures.

Maritime Labour Convention

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress the Government have made towards a decision on whether to ratify the International Labour Organisation's Maritime Labour Convention.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government will ratify the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 as soon as UK law and practice is adapted to the requirements of the Convention.

Motorway Costs

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the cost of  (a) one mile of new motorway,  (b) adding an extra lane to one mile of motorway,  (c) one mile of new dual carriageway and  (d) one mile of new single carriageway.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1280W, to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), about the average costs per mile of building motorways, dual carriageways and single lane roads. Adding an extra lane to one mile of motorway is estimated at an average of £27.5 million per mile.

National Travel Scheme

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 19 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1599W, on the National Travel Scheme, when he expects decisions to be made on how the National Travel Scheme will be delivered in 2008.

Gillian Merron: The implementation of the national scheme requires primary legislation and has implications for the financing of local government, both of which require formal consultation. Therefore, it will not be possible to make final decisions before summer 2007.

Parliamentary Questions

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide a substantive reply to Question 84871 before the House rises for the summer adjournment.

Stephen Ladyman: A substantive reply was given to the hon. Member on 17 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1-2W.

Public Appointments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many public appointments are within his patronage; what  (a) salary and  (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport was created in 2002. The information provided in the table is correct as at 31 March 2006, except for the Chair and members of the Strategic Rail Authority. The Chair was appointed on 1 April 2006 and the members reduced to two at the same time.
	
		
			  Public body  Number of appointments  Remuneration (pa) (£)  Emoluments (£) 
			 Commission for Integrated Transport Chair x 1 (1)5,431 — 
			  Vice Chair x 1 24,000 — 
			  Members x 10 5,403 — 
			 
			 Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Council Chair x 1 Unpaid (2)— 
			  Members x 20 Unpaid (2)— 
			 
			 Civil Aviation Authority Chair x 1 124,649 60,299 
			  Members x 9 (3)884,554 (4)242,165 
			 
			 Rail Passenger Council (operates as Passenger Focus) Chair x 1 25,000 (5)— 
			  Members x 11 15,000 (5)— 
			 
			 Railway Heritage Committee Chair x 1 Unpaid Out of pocket expenses only 
			  Deputy Chair x 1 Unpaid Out of pocket expenses only 
			  Members x 10 Unpaid Out of pocket expenses only 
			 
			 British Transport Police Authority Chair x 1 25,800 (6)— 
			  Deputy Chair x 1 19,350 (6)— 
			  Members x 10 14,448 (6)— 
			 
			 Senior Traffic Commissioner Senior Traffic Commission x 1 93,483 — 
			 Traffic Commissioners Traffic Commissioners x 6 84,135 — 
			 
			 Strategic Rail Authority Chair x 1 20,731 — 
			  Members x 2 20,731 and 208,512 (41,712 wef 25 June 2006) — 
			 (1 )The current Chair of the Commission for Integrated Transport chooses to receive a reduced level of remuneration for this post.  (2) £34 per quarter communication allowance.  (3) Represents total members' remuneration.  (4) Represents total members' emoluments.  (5) £150 p.a. miscellaneous allowance.  (6) £150 p.a. to cover printing costs. 
		
	
	Details of public appointments to public bodies sponsored by all Departments can be found in 'Public Bodies', copies of which are in the Library. 'Public Bodies' has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures, including those for the public bodies sponsored by the Department for Transport, for 2005.

Public Transport (London)

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people travelled on  (a) buses,  (b) trains and  (c) other forms of public transport in each (i) London borough and (ii) region in each year since 2001.

Gillian Merron: The number of bus and light rail passenger journeys by Government office region (including London) for years 1994-95 to 2004-05 can be found in table 2.1 of the Department's publication "Regional Transport Statistics: 2005". This publication is available from the Department's website and a copy will shortly be placed in the House of Commons Library. The number of London Underground passenger journeys for years 1994-95 to 2004-05 can be found in table 2.4 of the same publication.
	Information on regional rail travel is included in the National Rail Trends Yearbooks, which are published by the Office of Rail Regulation and available in the House of Commons Library. The statistics team at the Office of Rail Regulation also hold information on rail travel by station and by borough.
	Information on the number of public transport journeys in each London borough is not available for other modes.

Railways

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of revenue support grant is paid towards rail passenger services in London.

Gillian Merron: Revenue support grant (RSG) is paid to local authorities (including London borough councils and the Greater London authority, GLA) to be spent according to local priorities. There is no element in the calculations underpinning the RSG levels related specifically to rail passenger services.

Railways

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many employees of  (a) Network Rail and  (b) its contractors are employed in maintaining the track at Dawlish Warren; and what the cost of this workforce has been in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how much public money Network Rail has spent in Dawlish Warren on capital work to bolster up the sea defences since 1997; and what the annual cost has been of ongoing repairs in each of the last nine years.

Derek Twigg: These are operational matters for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his questions:
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Railways

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether planned improvements to Central Milton Keynes train station include a lift for disabled access to all platforms.

Derek Twigg: The station extension at Milton Keynes Central station is being designed to the latest accessibility requirements including the continued provision of lifts to all platforms.

Road Noise

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of road were resurfaced to reduce noise in each year since 2000-01; what the location of each resurfacing project was; what the total cost of resurfacing was in each year; and what work is planned in each year up to 2010-11.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency currently resurfaces roads for maintenance reasons only, but has in previous years also resurfaced carriageways for environmental noise reasons, when specific funding was available. The Highways Agency does not separately record these two categories of carriageway resurfacing and it is therefore not possible to confirm the carriageway length resurfaced purely for noise reasons.
	Since 2000-01 it has been Highways Agency policy to resurface carriageways with quieter surfacing materials, when maintenance is required. The following table shows the total quieter surfacing delivered in each year (data are only recorded in lane kms):
	
		
			   Lane kms quieter surfacing 
			 2000-01 1,172 
			 2001-02 1,613 
			 2002-03 1,685 
			 2003-04 1,565 
			 2004-05 1,226 
			 2005-06 1,618 
		
	
	The Highways Agency anticipates that it will deliver at least 1,000 lane kms in 2006-07. With respect to future forecasts, the forward maintenance programme is currently being updated, therefore it is not possible to accurately confirm the anticipated delivery for 2007-08. Delivery for years beyond 2007-08 will be subject to confirmation within the comprehensive spending review 2007.
	The Highways Agency annually resurfaces a large number of routes, many of very short length; it is therefore not possible to identify every individual location.
	Funding for carriageway resurfacing is from the Highways Agency's Renewal of Roads budget, which covers many different maintenance elements including carriageway resurfacing, street lighting, traffic signs and signals, drainage and geotechnical earthworks. Expenditure for carriageway resurfacing alone is not explicitly recorded and it is therefore not possible to identify this separately.

Road/Rail Bridges

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) road bridges and  (b) rail bridges in (i) Southend-on-Sea, (ii) Essex, (iii) Hertfordshire and (iv) the Metropolitan Police area of London have been (A) rebuilt and (b) renewed in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: This information is not collated centrally.
	Queries on road bridges should be addressed to the relevant highway authorities.
	Network Rail, the owner and operator of the national rail network, advise that the information concerning railway bridges is not held in this form.

Rural Transport

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much was spent on the Rural Transport Fund in each year since 1998;
	(2)  how many bus services have been extended to rural areas under the Rural Transport Fund since 1998.

Gillian Merron: Since 1998 the Department has provided specific funding for rural transport through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) and, up to 2003, awards under the Rural Bus Challenge (RBC). RBSG supports over 2000 services nationally in England. RBC has provided funding for over 300 local authority schemes. Annual allocations for each of these schemes are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   RBSG  RBC 
			 1998 32.50 11.2 
			 1999 32.50 16.8 
			 2000 32.50 21.2 
			 2001 41.50 20.5 
			 2002 47.50 20.0 
			 2003 48.50 20.3 
			 2004 51.00 n/a 
			 2005 53.00 n/a 
			 2006 54.30 n/a 
		
	
	The Department also awarded funding for 11 schemes in rural areas through the Kickstart scheme in 2005.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has also provided funding through the Countryside Agency for Rural Transport Partnership schemes.

Sheffield Airport

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on Sheffield Airport.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State for Transport has not received any recent representations concerning Sheffield Airport.

Smoking Ban

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the ban on smoking in public places to be introduced in the Health Bill will be applied to cruise ships.

Stephen Ladyman: The intention is that the smoke-free provisions of the Health Bill will apply to all cruise ships when they are arriving or departing from a UK port while within UK territorial waters. The smoke-free provisions would not apply therefore to UK-flagged cruise ships operating outside of UK territorial waters or while transiting UK waters.
	A consultation paper on the Government's proposals will be issued later this summer and the smoke-free provisions are due to come into effect next year.

Speed Cameras (East Riding of Yorkshire)

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there were in the East Riding of Yorkshire in each of the last nine years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: East Riding of Yorkshire is a partner in the Humberside Safety Camera Partnership, which joined the national safety camera programme on 1 April 2003. The Department does not hold information for this area prior to this date. Since joining the programme the total number of speed camera sites in the East Riding of Yorkshire in each year is shown in the table:
	
		
			   Total number of mobile sites 
			 2003-04 25 
			 2004-05 27 
			 2005-06 26 
			 2006-07 (to 30 June 2006) 26

Speed Limits

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to rural-proof its policies on  (a) quiet lanes and  (b) the installation of national speed limit signs at the end of lower-speed zones.

Gillian Merron: Quiet Lanes is a Countryside Agency initiative that aims to maintain the character of minor rural roads. Guidance on Quiet Lanes has been developed by the Department in collaboration with the Countryside Agency.
	For national consistency, all changes of speed limit are required by law to be clearly signed so that all road users may be aware of potential vehicle speeds and to allow drivers ample time to adjust their speed accordingly. This includes the beginning of national speed limits. However, the signing requirements seek to strike a sensible balance between driver awareness and unnecessary sign clutter and environmental intrusion. For example, repeater national speed limit applies signs are only required on roads where there are street lights.
	The Department acknowledges that speed limit signs may not necessarily be in keeping with the aesthetic layout of the countryside. However, they are a vital tool in alerting drivers to a change in road conditions. We continue to work closely with Defra and the Countryside Agency to ensure speed limit signing is appropriate yet not unnecessarily intrusive.

Speed Limits

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to provide a modified entry sign for Quiet Lanes to incorporate an advisory indication of maximum speed; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department has developed new signs in consultation with stakeholders, for use in England, to indicate the entry and exit points of a Quiet Lane. There are no plans to incorporate an advisory maximum speed sign. The Department's guidance will explain that only minor roads or networks of minor roads which have low flows of motorised vehicles travelling at low speeds are appropriate for designation as Quiet Lanes.

Speed Limits

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport under what circumstances a local authority  (a) requires permission from his Department to impose a 40 mph speed limit and  (b) may impose a 40 mph speed limit on a rural road.

Stephen Ladyman: A local traffic authority has powers under section 84 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to introduce a 40 mph speed limit on any road for which it has responsibility without permission from the Department.

Stage Cottage, East Sussex

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency has spent on refurbishing Stage Cottage, Hurst Green, East Sussex; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 19 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 1470-71W, and 9 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1369W.

Statutory Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions a statutory instrument sponsored by his Department has been reported by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments as defective since October 2005.

Gillian Merron: Since October 2005 statutory instruments sponsored by the Department for Transport have been reported as defective by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments on the following occasions.
	 JCSI's 7( th) Report of Session 2005-06:
	Railways (Accident Investigation and Reporting) Regulations (S.I. 2005/1992)
	 JCSI's 8( th) Report of Session 2005-06:
	Air Navigation (General) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/1980)
	 JCSI's 10( th) Report of Session 2005-06:
	Civil Aviation (Investigation of Military Air Accidents at Civil Aerodromes) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/2693)
	 JCSI's 14( th) Report of Session 2005-06:
	Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3165)
	Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3170)
	 JCSI's 28( th) Report of Session 2005-06:
	M6 Toll (Speed Limit) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/1185).
	Reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments contain full details of the provisions which they have reported.

Transport Innovation Fund

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total estimated cost is of the schemes outlined by his Department as potentially eligible for the first round of Transport Innovation Fund funding; and what total funding is available for projects which receive this funding.

Gillian Merron: The total funding available within the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) is £9,450 million, of which £290 million is available in 2008-09 and £600 million in 2009-10, the first two years of the TIF. Of this, up to £200 million a year will be available for packages involving demand management aimed to tackle congestion.
	The total cost of the schemes which will be taken forward for further consideration and appraisal under Productivity TIF, as listed in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's announcement on 27 June, is currently estimated to be around £1.4 billion. The option of a TIF contribution is also under consideration for Crossrail. I refer the hon. Member to the Parliamentary Estimate of Expense submitted with the Crossrail Bill for the estimated cost of that scheme.
	My right hon. Friend's announcement made it clear that we expect to allocate TIF funds to only a limited number of the schemes listed, and that the availability of other funding contributions would be a consideration in deciding on those allocations.

Transport Projects

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what criteria expenditure on transport projects is judged; what rate of interest is used in discounted cash flow analyses; what value is attributed to  (a) time savings and  (b) the saving of life; by what ratio of benefits to costs such projects are judged; and what allowance is made for cost overruns.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport assesses all new transport infrastructure proposals using the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) guidance which can be found at:
	www.webtag.org.uk.
	The discount rates used in order to compare costs and benefits that occur in different time periods can be found at:
	http://www.webtag.org.uk/webdocuments/3_Expert/5_Economy_Objective/3.5.4.htm#041
	and in the Treasury Green Book
	http://greenbook.treasury.gov.uk/chapter05.htm#discounting
	The published values of time savings can be found in unit 3.5.6 of NATA guidance:
	http://www.webtag.org.uk/webdocuments/3_Expert/5_Economy Objective/3.5.6.htm
	The most recent values used to estimate the benefits of the prevention of road accidents are set out in the "Highways Economic Note No. 1: 2004 Valuation of the Benefits of Prevention of Road Accidents and Casualties" which can be found on the DfT website.
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/page/dft_rdsafety_610642.hcsp
	The Department's value for money guidance explains how the information generated in appraisal is used to estimate a benefits to cost ratio to inform advice to Ministers. This can be found at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/page/dft_about_033477.hcsp
	The Department's guidance on taking account of cost overruns in appraisal can be found at:
	http://www.webtag.org.uk/webdocuments/3_Expert/9_Major_Scheme_Appraisal_in_LTPs/3.9.4.htm

Vehicles

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency holds on the  (a) engine size and  (b) environmental emissions of vehicles.

Stephen Ladyman: DVLA holds information on engine size for all vehicles. Information on carbon dioxide emissions is held for most vehicles registered since March 2001. Further information is available at www.dft.gov.uk/transtat

NORTHERN IRELAND

Adult Community Learning

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has to improve the availability of adult community learning.

Maria Eagle: Arising from the recommendations of the Review of Further Education (FE), the Department for Employment and Learning will bring forward new arrangements for improved collaboration between FE colleges and other education and training providers, including voluntary and community-based organisations. The involvement of non-statutory organisations is intended to encourage those in the community who are reluctant to re-engage with the formal FE college structure to take up opportunities to develop their skills and generally improve their prospects of employment.

Airport and Port Security

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the level of security provided by security personnel at  (a) airports and  (b) ports; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department keeps the preventative transport security measures required under regular review. Industry implementation of the measures is subject to an ongoing programme of compliance monitoring and enforcement by DfT inspectors.

Audiology

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are waiting for digital hearing aids in each board area of Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Health and Social Services Boards have advised that the number of people assessed as suitable for a digital hearing aid and currently awaiting fitting within each of the four board areas is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Northern board 109 
			 Southern board 537 
			 Eastern board 853 
			 Western board 285 
		
	
	These figures include analogue users who are transferring to digital.
	As part the Government's drive to reduce waiting times, an Integrated Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service (ICATS) is being developed within a number of disciplines which include ENT services.
	A new electronic referral management system will manage all GP referrals for assessment. Those who can be assessed and treated without consultant intervention will be dealt with in a primary/community care setting and diagnostic requirements will be managed so that these are delivered within a set time of six weeks. Only those who need to see a consultant will be referred onward to a hospital.
	Audiology departments will have an opportunity to bid for funds from the ICATS budget in order to modernise services, so there should be significant changes within service delivery in the future.

Bonfires

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures his Department has in place to improve the enforcement of the law relating to  (a) lighting bonfires and  (b) the burning of tyres and other toxic waste on bonfires.

David Cairns: The 2004 report by the Interagency Working Group on bonfires set out the Department of the Environment's remit, and the limited range of its powers with regard to bonfires (a copy of the report is available in the Library). Primary responsibility rests with district councils and landowners.
	The Department's focus in relation to the burning of tyres and waste on bonfires is twofold. Firstly, it is continuing its campaign with commercial outlets producing waste tyres (through visits and guidance) to advise them how to dispose of tyres legally and to reinforce their duty of care obligations.
	Secondly, under the Duty of Care provisions in the Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order 1997, it is maintaining its enforcement brief against the producers of trade waste (including tyres), or those who transport it to bonfires.

Bonfires

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he took in 2006 to minimise the pollution from rubber tyres on bonfires during the Twelfth Celebrations.

David Cairns: In 2006, the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) targeted businesses that produce waste tyres by means of an advisory campaign involving mail shots and individual visits to premises by enforcement officers.
	EHS is taking action, under the Duty of Care provisions within the Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order 1997, against the producers of trade waste (including tyres), or those who transport it to bonfires. From the July 2006 bonfire season, EHS is investigating seven cases that may result in prosecution of those who have not followed its advice and have allegedly allowed tyres to be disposed of on bonfire sites.
	Although it is not possible to quantify the number of tyres being burned on bonfires due to the clandestine nature of storage before fires are built, observations would indicate that a lesser amount was burned this year.

Cancer

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the average  (a) number of trips made to and from hospital and  (b) combined cost of travel and hospital car parking incurred by cancer patients in 2005-06; and if he will take steps to exempt cancer patients from hospital car parking charges.

Paul Goggins: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has made no assessment of the number of trips made to and from hospital by cancer patients in 2005-06, or the travel and hospital car parking costs incurred by them.
	Not all acute hospital Trusts charge for car parking; those that do have in place policies regarding exemptions for patients and visitors who must attend on a frequent basis over a short period of time. For example, Belfast City Hospital provides an exemption from car park charging to radiotherapy patients whose course of treatment requires them to attend on more than 10 occasions. Chemotherapy patients are similarly exempted from the cost of car parking if their stay is longer than four hours. This policy makes a distinction between those actually receiving treatment and those attending the hospital for another reason.
	In addition, the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme provides for patients who are in receipt of certain state benefits, or who are on a low income, to be reimbursed for hospital travel costs, including car parking charges.
	Decisions about charging for car parking at hospitals, and exemptions from such charges, are matters for individual health and social services trusts. I will, however, be asking trusts to review their policy in this area.

Departmental Expenditure

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by  (a) the Northern Ireland Office and  (b) each of the Northern Ireland departments on (i) hospitality, (ii) taxis, (iii) advertising, (iv) public relations consultants, (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants and (vi) management consultants during (A) 2003-04, (B) 2004-05 and (C) 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The following tables set out the total cost of (i) hospitality, (ii) taxis, (iii) advertising, (iv) public relations consultants, (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants and (vi) management consultants in  (a) the Northern Ireland Office and  (b) each of the Northern Ireland departments during (A) 2003-04, (B) 2004-05 and (C) 2005-06. Figures in respect of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments' advertising costs for 2005-06 are not yet completed but will be provided as soon as possible. For some Departments it has not been possible to provide the cost of taxis as expenditure is not recorded at this level. The relevant tables are noted accordingly.
	
		
			  Northern Ireland Office 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 319,741 258,436 299,634 
			 (ii) taxis 19,213 24,856 24,265 
			 (iii) advertising 192,978 279,697 138,425 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 4,944 7,400 10,230 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 136,260 49,237 0 
			 (vi) management consultants 2.17 million 3.33 million 5.16 million 
		
	
	
		
			  Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 110,559 134,553 97,000 
			 (ii) taxis n/a n/a n/a 
			 (iii) advertising 371,573 371,227 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 0 0 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 0 0 0 
			 (vi) management consultants 1.80 million 1.82 million 0.34 million 
			 n/a = not available (1) not yet available 
		
	
	
		
			  Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 21,721 22,260 34,901 
			 (ii) taxis n/a n/a n/a 
			 (iii) advertising 24,758 11,517 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 20,496.83 0 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 0 0 0 
			 (vi) management consultants 0.47 million 0.40 million 0.27 million 
			 n/a = not available (1) not yet available 
		
	
	
		
			  Department of Education 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 23,791 43,074 33,891 
			 (ii) taxis 2,154 3,282 2,042 
			 (iii) advertising 80,266 73,137 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 0 3,848 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 0 0 0 
			 (vi) management consultants 1.04 million 1.75 million 0.37 million 
			 (1) not yet available 
		
	
	
		
			  Department for Employment and Learning 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 42,759 29,904 33,000 
			 (ii) taxis 13,077 9,540 11,641 
			 (iii) advertising 149,210 498,570 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants(3) 0 0 0 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 0 0 0 
			 (vi) management consultants 0.43 million 0.42 million (2)0.73 million 
			 (1) not yet available (2) Projected figure for 2005-06. Actual costs for 2005-06 not yet available. (3) As well as PR activity figures shown include television, radio, cinema, outdoor (adshels etc.) and press advertising 
		
	
	
		
			  Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 24,551 23,813 19,102 
			 (ii) taxis 8,694 7,489 6,751 
			 (iii) advertising 154,656 88,420 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 93,283 124,737 95,501 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 0 0 52,875 
			 (vi) management consultants 2.11 million 1.22 million (2)1.29 million 
			 (1) not yet available (2) estimated 
		
	
	
		
			  Department of Environment 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 11,181 12,612 23,328 
			 (ii) taxis n/a n/a n/a 
			 (iii) advertising 977,821 1,333,024 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 0 0 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 0 0 0 
			 (vi) management consultants 0.48 million 0.31 million 0.49 million 
			 n/a = not available (1) not yet available 
		
	
	
		
			  Department of Finance and Personnel 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 53,647 68,297 56,822 
			 (ii) taxis 4,793 7,520 12,778 
			 (iii) advertising 298,260 280,789 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 0 0 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 208,731 203,934 46,061 
			 (vi) management consultants 2.53 million 2.65 million 3.78 million 
			 (1) not yet available 
		
	
	
		
			  Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 188,466 170,531 171,080 
			 (ii) taxis n/a n/a n/a 
			 (iii) advertising 355,141 347,494 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 0 0 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 0 0 0 
			 (vi) management consultants 0.60 million 0.40 million 0.70 million 
			 n/a = not available (1) not yet available 
		
	
	
		
			  Department for Regional Development 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 32,408 31,869 23,076 
			 (ii) taxis n/a n/a n/a 
			 (iii) advertising 24,282 22,364 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 0 0 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 47,723 1,375 36,675 
			 (vi) management consultants 1.04 million 2.18 million 1.37 million 
			 n/a = not available (1) not yet available 
		
	
	
		
			  Department for Social Development 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 27,296 38,085 27,255 
			 (ii) taxis n/a n/a n/a 
			 (iii) advertising 107,793 98,766 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 0 4,363 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 0 0 0 
			 (vi) management consultants 1.59 million 0.62 million 0.48 million 
			 n/a = not available (1) not yet available 
		
	
	
		
			  Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister 
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 (i) hospitality 93,703 63,974 96,011 
			 (ii) taxis 15,000 8,000 9,468 
			 (iii) advertising 324,053 191,800 (1)— 
			 (iv) public relations consultants 0 0 0 
			 (v) headhunters and recruitment consultants 34,410 0 4,383 
			 (vi) management consultants 1.28 million 0.70 million 0.87 million 
			 (1) not yet available

Disappeared People

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what pressure is being brought to bear at meetings with Sinn Fein/IRA to disclose the whereabouts of the disappeared.

Paul Goggins: The Government urge anyone with information about the whereabouts of the disappeared to bring that information to the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, so that the remains can be recovered and some degree of closure provided to the families.

Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the average domestic capital value for rates revaluation purposes in  (a) Northern Ireland and  (b) each district in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  District council  Average capital value assessment (£) 
			 Antrim 105,000 
			 Ards 128,000 
			 Armagh 106,000 
			 Ballymena 107,000 
			 Ballymoney 103,000 
			 Banbridge 107,000 
			 Belfast 115,000 
			 Carrickfergus 101,000 
			 Castlereagh 131,000 
			 Coleraine 122,000 
			 Cookstown 111,000 
			 Craigavon 90,000 
			 Derry 95,000 
			 Down 118,000 
			 Dungannon 108,000 
			 Fermanagh 103,000 
			 Larne 91,000 
			 Limavady 98,000 
			 Lisburn 123,000 
			 Magherafelt 109,000 
			 Moyle 114,000 
			 Newry And Mourne 118,000 
			 Newtownabbey 105,000 
			 North Down 154,000 
			 Omagh 96,000 
			 Strabane 85,000 
			 Northern Ireland 112,000

Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the latest estimate is of the  (a) proportion and  (b) number of households which will see (i) an increase, (ii) no change and (iii) a decrease in rates bills as a consequence of the domestic rates revaluation, before the application of transitional relief, in (A) Northern Ireland as a whole and (B) each district in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The proportion of households in Northern Ireland which will face an increase in bill (of more than 5 per cent.) is 37 per cent. This represents approximately 261,000 households. The proportion that will experience a decrease in bill of more than 5 per cent. is 45 per cent. (around 320,000 households) and the proportion with no change in bill (that is, between +/-5 per cent.) is 18 per cent. (124,000 households).
	The following table provides the information for each district council in Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Council  Decrease in bill by more than 5 per cent.  Increase in bill by more than 5 per cent.  No change (between +/-5 per cent.) 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 Antrim 10,466 56 5,696 30 2,664 14 
			 Ards 11,385 36 14,167 45 6,198 19 
			 Armagh 10,954 51 7,370 34 3,358 15 
			 Ballymena 13,304 54 7,290 30 3,910 16 
			 Ballymoney 6,326 57 3,014 27 1,694 16 
			 Banbridge 10,298 59 4545 26 2,740 15 
			 Belfast 46,115 37 61,808 50 16,360 13 
			 Carrickfergus 11,527 70 2,757 17 2,243 13 
			 Castlereagh 7,541 26 16,483 58 4,616 16 
			 Coleraine 13,609 51 8,772 33 4,219 16 
			 Cookstown 3,256 26 6,107 49 3,159 25 
			 Craigavon 23,848 69 6,622 19 4,166 12 
			 Derry 22,497 55 10,259 25 8,077 20 
			 Down 9,862 38 11,028 42 5,304 20 
			 Dungannon 5,899 30 9,534 49 4,134 21 
			 Fermanagh 8,693 36 10,075 41 5,531 23 
			 Lame 7,965 57 4,631 33 1,363 10 
			 Limavady 6,944 60 2,610 23 2,004 17 
			 Lisburn 18,941 44 14,397 33 9,726 23 
			 Magherafelt 5,898 41 5,240 36 3,389 23 
			 Moyle 3,469 45 3,160 41 1,089 14 
			 Newry 10,231 30 15,343 45 8,562 25 
			 New'abbey 18,062 53 7,542 22 8,482 25 
			 North Down 14,635 44 13,198 40 5,511 16 
			 Omagh 9,351 51 5,584 30 3,513 19 
			 Strabane 9,168 62 3,837 26 1,685 12 
		
	
	None of the estimates above take into account the households which may qualify for housing benefit or the new rate relief scheme. They also ignore the impact of the transitional relief scheme.

Domestic Violence

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women reported incidents of domestic violence in each of the last five years; what measures are in place to support women who report domestic violence; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The number of domestic violence incidents reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland is given in the following table. There is no official breakdown available by gender but it is known that women are the victims in the majority of reported cases. A strategy for addressing domestic violence in Northern Ireland, "Tackling Violence at Home", was launched in October 2005. The strategy is aimed at providing protection and support to all victims of domestic violence, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation. All victims can seek information and advice through the 24-Hour Free-phone Domestic Violence Helpline which handles over 20,000 calls each year. Any victim of a domestic assault can seek protection from the police who will investigate, arrest the alleged abuser if power exists and prosecute where there is evidence of a crime. The police have trained Domestic Violence Officers in each District Command Unit. Alternatively a victim can apply to a court for a civil order (a non-molestation order and/or an occupation order) to prevent further abuse or exclude the abuser from the family home. There are 12 Women's Aid Refuges in operation across Northern Ireland for women and children fleeing domestic violence. Local Women's Aid Groups also provide a range of other services for women, including outreach and floating support for women who wish to remain in their own homes.
	
		
			  Domestic violence incidents reported to PSNI 
			  April-March each year:  Incidents reported to PSNI 
			 2001-02 14,937 
			 2002-03 15,512 
			 2003-04 16,926 
			 2004-05 20,959 
			 2005-06 23,059 
			  Notes: These figures do not represent the prevalence of the problem as domestic violence is seriously under-reported.

Domicilary Oxygen Supplies

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were dependent on a domiciliary oxygen system in their home in  (a) 1995 and  (b) 2005.

Paul Goggins: Those patients who are dependent on an oxygen system in their home, requiring long-term oxygen therapy—i.e. 15 hours or more a day over a prolonged period—are normally prescribed an oxygen concentrator. It is also considered to be economical for those requiring a minimum of eight hours oxygen a day to be prescribed an oxygen concentrator.
	Central Services Agency (CSA) records report that in 1997 (earliest information available) 31 patients were being managed on a concentrator (with 19 of these in possession of a back-up cylinder/giving set). In 2005, 1,566 patients were being managed by a concentrator and 1,279 of these had a back-up cylinder/giving set.

Driving Tests

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many driving test appointments were not kept at each test centre in Northern Ireland in the last three years.

David Cairns: Figures for the number of driving test appointments not kept for each test centre are shown in the following table for the financial years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. The figures are primarily for appointments where candidates have failed to appear but also include any appointments cancelled by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency.
	
		
			  Appointments not kept 
			  Test centre  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Armagh 28 57 45 
			 Ballymena 52 78 83 
			 Balmoral Road, Belfast 101 175 267 
			 Coleraine 55 66 100 
			 Cookstown 22 69 68 
			 Craigavon 108 103 129 
			 Dill Road, Belfast 68 115 153 
			 Downpatrick 27 23 80 
			 Enniskillen 21 30 49 
			 Larne 53 79 175 
			 Lisburn 6 96 141 
			 Newbuildings 18 23 24 
			 Newry 44 50 79 
			 Newtownards 11 86 133 
			 Omagh 66 73 84 
			 Waterside House, Londonderry 70 97 110 
			 Total 750 1,220 1,720

Empty Properties

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated change is in the numbers of vacant premises in Northern Ireland between the date when such premises became liable for rates payments and the most recent date for which such figures are available.

David Hanson: On 4 June 2004 statistics were extracted from the Rate Collection Agency database identifying 8,901 non-domestic vacant properties that were now eligible to pay rates from 1 April 2004. These figures were extracted to facilitate the first phase of billing which commenced on 1 July 2004.
	At 17 July 2006 this figure has reduced to 7,153.

Energy Efficiency

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to ensure that every home in Northern Ireland uses at least one energy efficient light bulb.

David Hanson: It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to contribute to a more sustainable environment, one that aims to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels as an energy source. I would like to see every house with energy efficient light bulbs and to that end a number of steps are being taken. Northern Ireland Electricity distributes energy efficiency light bulbs (CFLs) through the Energy Saving Trust Advice Centre, Energy Efficiency Levy projects and the Warm Homes Scheme. Eligible households receive four light bulbs. NIE aim to distribute over 97,000 energy efficient light bulbs this year.
	The Northern Ireland Housing Executive as part of its Home Energy Conservation Authority role raises public awareness of energy efficiency by advertising widely on TV, radio etc., by providing face to face advice at exhibitions, shows, etc. in conjunction with the EST Advice Centre, and by funding a number of projects such as cash back for insulation and demonstration schemes. These actions promote and encourage the use of energy efficient light bulbs.

Higher Education

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of 18 year olds in each constituency in Northern Ireland went on to higher education in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of 18 year olds in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland entering higher education 2000-01-2004-05 
			  Parliamentary constituency  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Belfast East 31 26 30 26 28 
			 Belfast North 17 18 20 18 18 
			 Belfast South 14 24 20 23 37 
			 Belfast West 17 18 16 16 18 
			 East Antrim 26 27 29 28 34 
			 East Londonderry 29 31 27 27 30 
			 Fermanagh And South Tyrone 43 37 35 38 37 
			 Foyle 28 30 28 29 32 
			 Lagan Valley 32 34 36 31 34 
			 Mid Ulster 38 35 32 35 38 
			 Newry And Armagh 41 34 32 29 31 
			 North Antrim 34 31 34 32 32 
			 North Down 39 35 36 38 34 
			 South Antrim 36 30 31 31 30 
			 South Down 31 32 33 29 32 
			 Strangford 33 31 31 31 33 
			 Upper Bann 33 31 33 29 29 
			 West Tyrone 39 35 35 32 35 
			 Total 30 30 30 29 31 
			  Note:  1. The data in the table exclude 877 18 year olds with an unknown postcode.  2. The total 18 year old population in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years was as follows: 24,408 in 2000-01, 25,548 in 2001-02, 26,023 in 2002-03, 26,756 in 2003-04 and 27,288 in 2004-05.   Source:  HESA, FESR and NISRA mid-year population estimate

Housing Executive

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's properties had been vacant for more than three months in each district council area at the end of 2005.

David Hanson: The information is not available in the format requested but the following table sets out the figures at 31 December 2005 by Housing Executive district office. The figures include long term voids, those pending demolition, those not available because of short term operational reasons and those available for letting.
	
		
			  Housing Executive district office  Total 
			 Antrim 168 
			 Armagh 100 
			 Ballycastle 4 
			 Ballymena 160 
			 Ballymoney 3 
			 Banbridge 33 
			 Bangor 174 
			 Belfast 1 38 
			 Belfast 2 142 
			 Belfast 3 20 
			 Belfast 4 264 
			 Belfast 5 104 
			 Belfast 6 168 
			 Belfast 7 40 
			 Carrickfergus 80 
			 Castlereagh 96 
			 Cookstown 21 
			 Coleraine 97 
			 Collon Terrace 2 
			 Downpatrick 17 
			 Dungannon 50 
			 Fermanagh 14 
			 Lame 192 
			 Limavady 32 
			 Lisburn Ant St. 161 
			 Lisburn Dairy Fm 12 
			 Lurgan/Brownlow 163 
			 Magherafelt 23 
			 Newry 100 
			 Newtownabbey 1 84 
			 Newtownabbey 2 127 
			 Newtownards 127 
			 Omagh 63 
			 Portadown 37 
			 Strabane 23 
			 Waterloo Place 108 
			 Waterside 37 
			 Total 3,084

Implementation Group on Positive Parenting

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the terms of reference are of the Implementation Group on Positive Parenting established by the Ministerial Committee on Children and Young People; by what criteria membership of the group will be established; and what the timetable is for its work.

David Hanson: When the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Children and Young People last met on 4 July, it agreed, in principle, to the establishment of a group to co-ordinate the implementation of Article 2 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and to assist in the ongoing work on positive parenting, Positive parenting is a cross-departmental issue. An announcement on arrangements will be made soon.

Joyriding

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sentencing guidelines are in place for persons convicted of "joy-riding" in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Government does not issue guidelines on sentencing for any offence in Northern Ireland. Sentencing is entirely a matter for the independent courts based on case law and precedent. The role the Government plays is to provide the legislative framework and options within which the courts operate. To that end, in 2004 we introduced two new offences and penalties to deal with what is often inappropriately referred to as "joy-riding".
	We created the offence of "Aggravated vehicle taking" which is a vehicle being taken without consent, and which is then driven dangerously or causes an accident which results in injury, damage to property or damage to the vehicle. The maximum penalty for this offence is up to five years imprisonment, a fine, or both.
	We also created the more serious offence of "Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking". The maximum penalty for this offence is up to 14 years imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Language Support

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many inspections of language support services were carried out by the Department of Education Inspectorate in Northern Ireland in each of the last four academic years; and what the findings were of each such inspection.

Maria Eagle: The inspections that have been carried out by the Education and Training Inspectorate during the last four years have focused on the quality of language support for learners in schools and colleges of further education, rather than on such bodies as may have a remit to support schools and colleges.
	ETI has published a report "The Provision for English for Speakers of Other Languages and Modern Languages in Further Education" (April-June 2005). This is available at www.deni.gov.uk under Education and Training Inspectorate, surveys. The quality of learning and teaching and the standards and outcomes achieved by the learners in schools, in relation to the provision for English as an additional language, have also been inspected recently. This report will be available from the Department's website, referred to above, early in the 2006-07 academic year.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether pensioners on an occupational pension will be eligible for a rates reduction under the new domestic rates system from 2007.

David Hanson: Pensioners on an occupational pension will be eligible, along with others on low incomes, to apply for rate relief under the new scheme to be introduced in April 2007. In addition, if they are experiencing an increase in their rate bill by more than 33 per cent. as a result of the move to a capital value based system, they will automatically receive transitional relief for three years.

Newly Qualified Nurses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nursing graduates in Northern Ireland found posts within  (a) three months,  (b) six months and  (c) 12 months in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not held either in the Department or the relevant higher education institutions (HEIs) in Northern Ireland.
	HEIs conduct a 'Graduate Destination Survey', which offers a snap shot of graduate activity, commencing six months after graduation. Completion of the survey questionnaire is voluntary, so not all graduates respond.
	The following tables set out the information available for both HEIs in Northern Ireland for the last three years. Academic year 2005-06 is not yet available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Queens University Belfast, (QUB) Graduation Destination Survey 
			  Academic year  Completed questionnaires  Employed (percentage) 
			 2002-03 110 94.5 
			 2003-04 376 97 
			 2004-05 460 97.1 
			  Source:  QUB Destination Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: University of Ulster Graduation Destination Survey 
			  Academic year  Completed questionnaires  Employed (percentage) 
			 2002-03 1 100 
			 2003-04 144 95.8 
			 2004-05 7 100 
			  Source:  UU Destination Survey

Orthodontists

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many orthodontists are registered for the provision of NHS treatment in each health board area in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Orthodontists registered for the provision of NHS treatment by health board area as at December 2005 
			  Health board  Number 
			 Eastern 21 
			 Northern 8 
			 Southern 9 
			 Western 7 
			  Note:  An orthodontist is identified as having over 30 per cent. of orthodontic treatment items and over 20 treatments in a six-month period.   Source:  Central Services Agency.

Orthodontists

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting list time for orthodontist treatment is in each of the health board areas in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The information is not available as requested.
	Orthodontic treatment is provided in both hospital and primary care but waiting list information is only available for hospitals.
	Waiting list information is collected by time band. It is therefore not possible to calculate the arithmetic mean (average) length of time waiting. It is however possible to identify the median or mid-point waiting time band.
	The latest available waiting list statistics show the position for initial out-patient appointment for orthodontics treatment at 31 March 2006.
	
		
			  Health board area as at 31 March 2006 
			  Health board  Waiting time( 1)  (Month) 
			 Eastern 0-2 
			 Northern 0-2 
			 Southern 3-5 
			 Western 0-2 
			 Other 3-5 
			 Northern Ireland 3-5 
			 (1) Median waiting time band for initial out-patient orthodontic appointment at 31 March 2006.   Source:  Departmental Return CH3.

Pensioners

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners in Northern Ireland  (a) receive homecare and  (b) reside in care homes.

Paul Goggins: Information is not collected centrally on the number of pensioners receiving homecare. However, the number of persons aged 65 and over receiving home help services in Northern Ireland was 21,617 at 31 March 2005, the latest date for which figures are available.
	Information on the number of pensioners residing in care homes is also not collected centrally. However, information is available for 2001 from the Northern Ireland Census of Population on the number of people resident in communal establishments, including residential homes and nursing homes. The number of persons aged 65 and over resident in these homes is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Place of residence  Number of persons aged 65 and over 
			 Residential homes 3,325 
			 Nursing homes 6,171 
			 Total 9,496

Poverty

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas in Northern Ireland are estimated to be living (i) on the poverty line and (ii) below the poverty line; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Defining poverty as households whose income is 60 per cent. or less of the GB median household income, the households below average income Northern Ireland report indicates that there were 114,000 people living in relative poverty in rural and 218,100 in urban areas after housing costs in the period 2004-05. It is not possible to give figures separately for those at or below this relative poverty line.

Property Tax Reform

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1822W, on property tax reform, when the paper will be placed in the Library.

David Hanson: I can confirm that a copy of the paper was placed in the Library on 19 July 2006.

Saville Inquiry

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his latest estimate is of the cost to public funds of the Saville Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: On the figures available at the end of May 2006 the total cash spend of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry was £172 million. Out of this the Northern Ireland Office has spent £137.5 million and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence reports that his Department has spent £31.5 million.

Sustainable Buildings

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many builders have been prosecuted for non-compliance with environmental building regulations in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments do not hold this information. Enforcement of building regulations is the responsibility of district councils. Having written to district councils, I can confirm that there have been six prosecutions for non-compliance with the environmental building regulations in the last five years.

Valuation and Lands Agency (Data Protection)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment  (a) the Government and  (b) the Valuation and Lands Agency has made of whether the Valuation and Lands Agency's domestic rates revaluation computer database holds sensitive personal data as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998.

David Hanson: Information managers, at departmental and agency level, are responsible (at the appropriate level) for the proper implementation of Government policies concerning Data Protection and Freedom of Information principles.
	The Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) assesses its obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 on an ongoing basis. DFP, as required by the Data Protection Legislation, completes an annual notification to the Information Commissioners Office. Notification is the process by which DFP as a data controller informs the Information Commissioner of certain details about the processing of personal data. Those details are used by the Commissioner to make an entry describing the processing in a register, which is available to the public for inspection.
	Business areas within the DFP contribute to this process by undertaking a review of the notification at least annually when it is due for renewal or when a new process or system is proposed which may change the way personal data are handled.
	The Valuation and Lands Agency assesses whether its domestic rates revaluation computer database holds sensitive personal data, as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998, at least annually when the Department of Finance and Personnel reviews its Data Protection Notification. The Agency applies the eight Data Protection principles outlined in the Data Protection Act 1988. Assessment of data held is also undertaken when changes are made in process or systems within the agency.